DESCRIPTION AND/OR LINK
Green Infrastructure is a life support system for communities and the environment consisting of semi natural and managed green spaces in both urban and rural areas. With appropriate management and investment it can make a significant contribution to the community and can help to tackle major challenges that Cambridgeshire will face in the future.


In 2006, Cambridgeshire Horizons worked in partnership with the six local authorities of the County, English Heritage, the Environment Agency, the National
Trust, Forestry Commission England, Natural England, Cambridge Preservation Society, the Wildlife Trust and other organisations to produce a strategic plan for the development of the green spaces in the County. This plan was launched as the Green Infrastructure (GI) Strategy for the Cambridge
Sub-region and named The Cambridgeshire Green Vision. This is a 20 year masterplan for enhancing the natural environment for both residents and wildlife in the county.

Why do we need a Green Infrastructure Strategy?
To create sustainable new communities in Cambridgeshire every aspect of the local environment must be considered. GI is vital to the quality of life for both new and existing residents of the country, which is why Cambridgeshire Horizons has helped to create a Green Vision for the County. Over the next 20 years, the population of Cambridgeshire is expected to grow by 130,000 people. As well as homes and jobs, these new people will need places to enjoy the outdoors and relax in shared spaces which bring the local community together.

The revised Strategy sets out to show what can be achieved over the next thirty years if an appropriate and coordinated approach is taken. It is a bold vision which emphasises the strong reasons for funding Green Infrastructure and committing to this investment in the county’s future. It also provides guidance on what actions will be necessary to tackle some of the challenges facing Cambridgeshire in the coming decades and gives recommendations on how these can be executed, reviewed and managed.

Aims and Objectives for the GI Strategy
The overall aim of the commission is to establish a GI Strategy for Cambridgeshire that is capable of being delivered by local planning authorities, statutory agencies, developers and other partner organisations. Several key objectives for the GI Strategy were set out in the project brief and are presented below:

Sustainable Environment and Quality of Life
 Influence and support the health and well being of Cambridgeshire residents through the provision of high-quality, multi-functional and accessible GI in
urban and rural areas.
 Ensure GI will help deliver sustainable development, regeneration and a sense of place for communities.
 Map GI in the form of landscape scale initiatives that are related to real habitats, landscapes and environments.
 Provide deliverable GI opportunities for climate change mitigation and adaptation that increase the long-term sustainability of Cambridgeshire in a lowcarbon and resilient future.

Planning System and Delivery
 Link to and support Local Area Agreement's goals, indicators and priorities, local authority Core Strategies and Regional Spatial Strategy to ensure that GI is integrated into the planning and delivery process.
 Support the development of an investment framework for GI projects, the emerging Infrastructure Development Plan (IDP) and the concept of a ‘habitat
bank'.
 Relate and link to GI Strategies in neighbouring administrative areas to ensure cross border continuity of projects and objectives.
 Provide robust evidence (in accordance with PPS12) to provide clear justification for planning policies which will influence the masterplanning process and
enable delivery of the GI Strategy in new developments.
 Extend the timescale of the First Edition GI Strategy to ensure appropriate GI provision for existing and future residents of and visitors to Cambridgeshire.
Until 2031 and beyond.

PROJECT PARTNER(S)
Cambridgeshire Horizons, Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Environment Agency, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Natural England, The Wildlife Trust

LOCATION
Cambridgeshire, UK.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
CAMbridgeshire Horizons & LDA Design, Cambridgeshire Green Infrastructure Strategy: Second Edition Green Infrastructure Strategy: Draft for Public and Stakeholder Consultation, January 2010
http://www.cambridgeshirehorizons.co.uk/documents/green_infrastructure/revised_strategy/gi_strategy_final_draft_lowres.pdf