Waterbeach Barracks has a fascinating inherited landscape and the project website provides a fascinating insight into the different landscape areas, hero species and plans to enhance and improve the biodiversity – from planting trees to creating new wetlands and wildlife habitats.
The starting point for the design of Waterbeach Barracks was the extraordinary landscape left the Royal Engineers. Much of this was manmade – from the square blocks of woodland to the triangular lake. We are working to protect and enhance the diverse habitats remaining since the military left, from grasslands to woodland and water features, and the habitats within.
The vision for the development establishes five priority habitat areas, alongside a network of new green spaces and corridors that connect these special places. These five areas – which combined are larger than 60 international rugby pitches – will be protected, enhanced and established to provide a higher quality of biodiversity than existed before development takes place: a biodiversity net gain.
The website delves into each these areas to explore their different landscapes, the key species that live there and Urban&Civic’s aspirations for the ecology – from habitat creation and enhancement focused on terrestrial and aquatic habitats for great crested newts, to a patchwork of habitats including grassland, wetland and trees/shrubs to benefit species such as butterflies, moths, common lizard, birds and bats.