Climate and nature strategies

Open for comments from Wednesday 1 October to Sunday 9 November 2025.

South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council have teamed up to invite people to help shape the councils’ approaches to climate and nature work in the coming years.

The councils have set out transformative visions for a region where nature thrives, the air and rivers are clean, communities are resilient to the changing climate, and future generations can flourish. They are developing new strategies to take this work forwards and want local people and organisations to have their say.

You only need to take the survey once, on either council’s website. The responses will all be analysed together and made available to both councils.

Please note that whichever site you complete the survey on, that council will be the data controller for your registration data, and that council will be able to keep in touch with you (according to your subscription preferences). You may therefore prefer to complete the survey on the platform of the council where you are a resident.

As you work your way through the survey on either platform, you will be able to choose which council’s questions to respond to.

Part 1 of the survey will help us to understand:

• your concerns about climate change and nature loss
• what steps you may have already taken
• how you can be supported to take further action on reducing emissions, increasing resilience to climate impacts and helping nature recovery in Greater Cambridge

Parts 2 and 3 of the survey focus on each council’s separate strategies and their priorities.

Your feedback will help us understand how we can shape the individual strategies around the needs and aspirations of the area and its residents.

Whichever platform you are using, you can choose which council’s strategy you would like to provide feedback on. We understand that some respondents may live in the South Cambridgeshire district and work in the city or vice versa so you may wish to provide feedback on both.

The two councils have several shared services, including Greater Cambridge Shared Planning and Greater Cambridge Shared Waste.

This means that many planned actions to tackle climate change and support nature recovery are shared, such as:

• transitioning bin lorries from diesel to electric
• installing solar panels at the shared waste depot to charge them
• minimising household waste
• developing planning policies that support low-carbon and biodiverse development

Both councils are also committed to increasing green space, with South Cambridgeshire District Council planning to double land managed for nature from 7% to 14% by 2050, and Cambridge City Council increasing tree canopy from 17% to 20% by 2050.

South Cambridgeshire District Council is committed to a 75% reduction in emissions from its own operations by 2030, and a 50% reduction in emissions across the district by 2030 ahead of reaching Net Zero by 2050.

Cambridge City Council has a target to achieve Net Zero for its own buildings and fleet by 2030, and is working with partners towards Net Zero across the city, too.

Further actions include:

• installing more electric vehicle charging points
• supporting local taxis to transition to zero or ultra-low emission taxis
• retrofitting homes to bring down energy bills
• supporting local food networks
• empowering communities through education and grants

Both councils also have a focus on working with local businesses, supporting communities to be resilient to the changing climate, and want to ensure the benefits of climate action are felt equally by local people.

The councils recognise that climate action must be inclusive, with a strong emphasis on working with vulnerable communities, local businesses, parish councils, and community and voluntary organisations.

Events, newsletters, and training will continue to be delivered to ensure everyone can play a role in shaping a sustainable future.

Survey

Select the 'Take the survey' button to have your say. We would encourage anyone who can to complete our surveys online, as this enables us to collate and review answers more efficiently.

If you would prefer to complete a hard copy version of this survey, a PDF copy can be downloaded here:

Please send your response to:

Communications, South Cambridgeshire District Council, South Cambridgeshire Hall, 6010 Cambourne Business Park, Cambourne, Cambridge, CB23 6EA

Your responses will be reviewed and analysed and will help to inform the development of both council's strategies. Further updates will be provided in the coming months following the continued development of these strategies.

The survey closes on Sunday 9 November 2025. Any responses received after this date will not be considered.

Drop-in sessions

If you'd like to come and talk to the Climate Team, to ask questions and tell us what matters most to you about climate change and nature in Cambridge, we're holding drop-in sessions across the city during October and November. No need to book - just come along and share your views:

• Monday 27 October, 10.30am to 12.30pm, Cambridge Central Library foyer
• Tuesday 28 October, 10am to 12 noon, Brown's Field Community Centre
• Wednesday 29 October, 10.30am to 12.30pm, Cherry Hinton Library
• Monday 3 November, 10am to 12.30pm, Meadows Community Centre