Green Infrastructure & Movement Networks Dick Longdin: Randall Thorp CAMBOURNE Lessons to be learnt

Green Infrastructure & Movement Networks Dick Longdin CAMBOURNE 9 miles west of Cambridge 405 ha 3300 residential units approved Additional 950 applied for Projected population 10,500 + Open space: 243 ha New Woodlands: 45 ha New grassland: 23 ha New lakes: 6 ha Country Park: 28 ha Eco Park: 9 ha Entrance Park: 7.5 ha Nature areas: 58 ha Trees and shrubs: 200,000 New hedgerows: 10 miles New footpaths, cycleways bridleways: 12 miles

Cambourne A ‘Best Practice’ New Development “we can build to the of Cambourne… or the standard of Slough ” Jon Rouse, Chief Executive CABE. The Times 2004 quantity quality “Cambourne has successfully built in biodiversity as an integral part of the Masterplan ” English Nature, Memorandum to the ODPM, 2004 “This good practice example shows how the existing biodiversity was protected and how new wildlife interest can be created ” Planning for Biodiversity & Geological Conservation: A Good Practice Guide to Accompany PPS9: 2006

Cambourne Masterplan Masterplan drawn up in 1995 by multidisciplinary team led by Terry Farrell Vision included the following aims (amongst others): Protect & enhance features of landscape value Protect & enhance features of ecological value Enhance biodiversity through habitat creation Facilitate & encourage movement by foot, cycle & other non-vehicular forms Together these enable the creation of the Landscape Structure Plan (Green Infrastructure for Cambourne).

Cambourne Masterplan Cambourne site 1994 Cambourne Masterplan 1995 Cambourne Masterplan 2000 Cambourne Masterplan 2007 Cambourne site 2007.

Cambourne’s Green Infrastructure Open spaces designed to be multifunctional: Ecological enhancement Engineering requirements Waste disposal Education Screening Shelter Informal recreation Formal recreation Food production Sense of place / local character Aesthetic delight Movement Range of linked habitats and public realm that provide benefits that far exceed the sum of the individual parts

Cambourne’s Green Infrastructure Range of Green Infrastructure assets at a variety of scales Inter-relationship of GI with the movement network Primary roads and Green Infrastructure Green Infrastructure and movement Non vehicular routes and Green Infrastructure

The Oaks Wood Primary Roads & Green Infrastructure Vision: Protect and enhance existing features of landscape or ecological value

Primary Roads & Green Infrastructure Vision: Protect and enhance existing features of landscape or ecological value Green Infrastructure adds value to the highway design by Adding aesthetic delight Adding wildlife interest/value Creating natural gateway features Creating traffic calming features Providing highway drainage Designing the highways and GI together adds value to the development Maximises the value of existing features Enhances the sense of place Improves navigability Improves marketability Reduces build costs GI enhances the movement network

Monkfield Wood Vision: Protect and enhance existing features of landscape or ecological value

Monkfield Wood Vision: Protect and enhance existing features of landscape or ecological value Problem: Existing woodland in centre of development Potential to be lost, unloved, uncared for and a burden on the development Solution: Maximised it’s exposure Get people to know its there Get it overlooked Get people to see it and use it on a daily basis Result: Highway and pedestrian network have had a positive effect on the value of this piece of GI Well used Well loved Well managed Adds to sense of place Improves permeability Improves navigability The movement network enhances GI

Non vehicular routes Vision: Movement by foot, bicycle and other non-vehicular forms will be facilitated and encouraged System of safe non-vehicular routes; footpaths, cycle ways and bridleways Link centres of villages with each other Link centre of villages with schools, shops and business park Link centre of villages with surrounding open spaces Use existing landscape features as basis for greenways Incorporate new landscape features Incorporate new ecological features link the places where people live with the places people want to and need to visit Creates attractive, multi-functional routes Maximises value of open space and routes Increases biodiversity, enhances community – decreases carbon use…

Non vehicular transport Decreasing car dependency 12 % OF RESIDENTS WORK IN CAMBOURNE 89 % OF RESIDENTS SHOP IN CAMBOURNE 51 % OF RESIDENTS LEISURE TRIPS ARE WITHIN CAMBOURNE % of leisure journeys by non-vehicular modes NATIONAL26 % CAMBOURNE53 % % of journeys to school by non-vehicular modes NATIONAL47 % CAMBOURNE68 %

Lessons to be learnt Masterplan Lessons Create a strong vision Ensure client understanding and support for the vision Assemble a good design team who understand the vision and support each other Create a strong and flexible landscape structure Green Infrastructure and Movement GI can enhance highways Highways can enhance GI The movement network should be inexorably linked to the GI network The Value of Green Infrastructure GI can reduce build costs GI can improve marketability (residents favourite thing about Cambourne is ‘the environment’) GI can increase monetary values (premium on property next to open space is 0.44 – %) GI and movement networks can enhance sustainability Lessons can be summed up by The Cambridgeshire Wildlife Trust…

Natural World Magazine Brain Eversham, Director: Wildlife Trust for Cambridgeshire “We hope that developers elsewhere will learn lessons from Cambourne and realize that places that are good for wildlife are places people want to live ”

Green Infrastructure & Movement Networks Dick Longdin: Randall Thorp CAMBOURNE