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The site is made up of two large fields which do not support very much wildlife, apart from around the site boundaries where there is young woodland, gappy hedgerows, some grassland and agricultural field drains. There are no protected species on the site.
A full ecological assessment has been carried out on the development site in 2002 and again in 2004. We consulted national and regional organisations including:
- English Nature
- Cambridgeshire Wildlife Trust
- The Cambridgeshire Badger and Otter Group
- The RSPB
- Cambridgeshire Bat Group
The design of NorthBridge brings further woodland planting, green open spaces and corridors and wetland areas to the site.
Wetland areas - which have ponds, damp grassland and dykes - have been identified as important habitats within the Cambridgeshire Biodiversity Action Plan. The wetlands will be on the western and south western edges of the development and will provide a new habitat for a variety of wildlife including newts and dragonflies.
There are several ways we will try to minimise any disruption to the environment during construction:
- Timing of building activities is very important and will be planned according to when the least disturbance to local wildlife is likely
- Any removal of soil and vegetation will be completed outside of the bird-breeding season (March to July) to comply with the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981)
- Strict site management following the Environment Agency Pollution Prevention Guidelines will ensure there are no spillages into field ditches or other local watercourses
The effects resulting from a loss of habitats and disruption to local wildlife has been assessed as minimal. In fact, NorthBridge would encourage new wildlife and generally improve the ecological value of the area.
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