Policy BG/RC: River corridors

1.

This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

along river corridors and their tributaries must demonstrate how it: 

  a. Protects and enhances views to and from the river. 

  b. Ensures that the location, scale and design of development protects and enhances the character, biodiversity, visual amenity and historic significance of river corridors and connected locations. 

  c. Protects, enhances and restores natural features, including: 

    i. Supporting the renaturalisation of the rivers and their processes. 

    ii. Restoring natural floodplains and integration of nature based solutions to protect communities at risk of flooding. 

    iii. Establishing riparian habitats where appropriate. 

  d. Protects and enhances the existing landscape of river corridors, referring to the

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

Landscape Character Assessment and the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for guidance. 

  e. Supports enhanced access to, from and along river corridors for walking and cycling, whilst balancing this with the need to protect and enhance habitats for biodiversity, including: 

    i. For the river Cam, supporting the delivery of a continuous Cam Valley Trail. 

    ii. Enhancing connections between the rivers and other green spaces. 

    iii. Providing improved wayfinding and interpretation resources. 

  f. Supports tourism and recreation associated with river corridors in appropriate locations, whilst ensuring that this does not impact negatively on the other roles of a river.

Riparian Buffer Zones 

2. To help protect water quality and watercourse habitats, development proposals should retain or reinstate a buffer zone of at least 15m from the watercourse bank top, or 10m from a ditch bank top, according to the River/Ditch definitions set out under current BNG User Guidance. Within these riparian buffer zones, no development shall be permitted except for domestic extensions, soft landscaping, small amenity areas, or proposals where it is necessary for the nature and function of the development. In these exceptional cases, details proportionate to the scale and nature of the development must be submitted for approval to demonstrate: 

  a. that the development needs to be located within the riparian buffer zone and that there are no suitable alternatives; 

  b. that the proposed development will not cause significant harm to watercourses over the lifetime of the development; and 

  c. how the riparian buffer zone will be protected. 

Our rivers, and in particular the River Cam and Ouse, and their tributaries, provide a variety of critical roles in

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

. The policy seeks to address the following key roles, challenges and opportunities for our river corridors: 

• A defining role in our landscape, heritage and townscape; 
• Supporting habitats; 
• Water storage; 
• Supporting leisure, recreation and health; 
• Supporting tourism. 

This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

proposals should consider guidance from the

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

Green Infrastructure is a multi-functional network of public green spaces and routes, landscapes, biodiversity and heritage. It includes a wide range of elements such as country parks, wildlife habitats, rights of way, commons and greens, nature reserves, waterways and bodies of water, and historic landscapes and monuments.

Opportunity Mapping Final Report and

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

Landscape Character Assessment which identify key features to protect and opportunities for enhancement of river corridors. 

The policy establishes riparian buffer zones around watercourses to protect important watercourse habitats from harm that can arise from development during construction and use. Some small-scale development, such as domestic extensions or landscaping proposals, may not be inappropriate within these riparian buffer zones, whilst other types of development may need to be located within these riparian buffer zones due to their nature or function, such as marinas, moorings, river jetties, boathouses, and other types of water-reliant uses or infrastructure. In these cases, applicants are required to submit details as part of a planning application to demonstrate that the proposed development will not cause significant negative impacts to watercourse over the lifetime of the development, and how the watercourses and associated aquatic environments will be protected. 

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

  : Topic Paper 3:

  The variety of life in all its forms. This includes the plant and animal species that make up our wildlife and the habitats in which they live.

  and Green Spaces

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  Includes transport, energy, water, waste, digital/smart, social and green infrastructure.

  Oppotunity Mapping Baseline Report (2020)

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  Includes transport, energy, water, waste, digital/smart, social and green infrastructure.

  Oppotunity Mappping Final Report (2021)

We will consider all comments while developing the next version of the

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

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All comments must be received by 30 January 2026 at 5pm.