Our environment plans and actions

We are committed to delivering a cleaner, greener East Cambridgeshire.

Having declared a climate emergency in 2019 we have focused actions to address urgent environmental issues facing the district and the wider world.

Specifically we are looking to:

  • adapt to climate change
  • reduce our own emissions
  • bring back nature

As well as taking direct action we are also working hard to bring the council, residents, businesses and community groups together to create an even better East Cambridgeshire, which is cleaner, greener and healthier for all, forever. 

Climate and Nature Strategy 2024 to 2028

Our poster-style Climate and Nature Strategy 2024 to 2028 sets out on a single page our long term priorities and our goals by 2028.

For young people, we also have a dedicated Youth Climate Action page with ideas and suggestions. 

Our top 20 actions for 2026 to 2027

To help us make meaningful progress towards our long-term vision, each June we establish a new set of Top 20 Actions for the coming 12 months.  

In June 2026, the council agreed its latest set of top 20 actions set out under three themes. 

Theme one: Bring back nature 

  • action 1: Beechcroft Open Space, Brinkley - adjust where and when the grass is cut in order to increase the size of the meadow area and the richness and abundance of native wild species within it
  • action 2: Carter’s Pit, Burwell – commence removal of non-native Snowberry and Honesty to provide more space for native plants and to limit their future spread. Organise staff volunteer day to assist in this action
  • action 3: Celandine View Open Space, Soham – enhance the flower-rich meadow in the eastern half of the site through adjusting cutting timing and collecting of cuttings
  • action 4: Ely Milking Common – maintain, and enhance where possible, the bat hibernaculum and the bug hotels, and assist with monitoring of species recorded
  • action 5: Fisherman’s Bank, Littleport - Plant a selection of small flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs to the north and south of the playground
  • action 6: Kings Avenue, Ely - implement specific conservation measures to benefit hedgehogs
  • action 7: Lime Kilns, Isleham – protect and preserve the integrity of the Lime Kilns by removing sycamore saplings and walnut seedlings, cut back the Ivy and clear the scrub on the kiln vent. Engage with the local community, and provide a new information board
  • action 8: Heaton Drive nature rich area - following a recent joint project by Palace Green Homes and the Council to create a new nature rich area off Heaton Drive (Ely), the two partners will work together to further enhance and expand the area by June 2027, for the benefit of wildlife and the local community

Theme two: Climate change and adaptation

  • action 9: Non-Domestic Energy Assessor - to train up a staff member to become a qualified Non-Domestic Energy Assessor (NDEA) and thereafter seek to establish a free or significantly discounted energy assessment service to small scale businesses and community groups
  • action 10: Energy price cap advice - Undertake energy efficiency campaigns around each quarterly energy price cap announcement, offering simple advice and tips to reduce energy bills or links to advice for those most vulnerable to energy price shocks. For the ‘able to pay’ market, our advice will include estimated cost benefits of installing more substantial measures, such as rooftop solar panels
  • action 11: Net Zero Villages appraisal and extension - we will publish a report on the successes of our 2024/25 Net Zero Villages project, highlighting case studies that other local community groups and businesses could learn from to help bring down their own energy bills. Subject to that investigation, we may commence a further round of Net Zero Villages grants, possibly offering around 50% of the cost of installing solar panels and batteries
  • action 12: Plug-in solar panels - once available on the market (due summer 2026), we will launch a promotional and advice campaign on the newly available ‘plug-in’ solar panels. Such panels may offer residents a low budget opportunity to take advantage of renewable energy technology and help them save money on the energy bills, even for those in the rented sector or with those not wanting or able to commit to a more substantial investment. 
  • action 13: Lake View Bereavement Centre - We will continue to support the environmentally responsible operation of the soon to be opened Lake View Bereavement Centre, an all-electric crematorium and natural burial ground designed to work in harmony with its surrounding landscape and wildlife setting. During 2026/27 the council will monitor operational energy demands and explore opportunities for future sustainability initiatives, including the potential installation of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, with the aim of supporting the council’s wider commitment towards reducing carbon emissions, supporting biodiversity through sensitive landscape management and native planting, and promoting long-term environmental stewardship
  • action 14: Maximising recycling rate – to closely monitor the new waste collection service (operating from June 2026), seeking to maximise recycling rates as we attempt to achieve a 65% recycling target by 2030 (one of the highest rates in the country)
  • action 15: Public convenience solar panels - install solar panels on at least one public convenience, including a battery if appropriate, to complement the on-going revamp of these important public conveniences
  • action 16: Residents energy retrofit engagement - engage with residents that we have previously supported with energy efficiency grant funding schemes to: a) help understand the impact of such measures on individual resident’s energy costs and thermal comfort, and how easy residents find using the new technology (such as solar panels and air source heat pumps); and b) use learnings from that engagement to inform future grant funded home energy upgrades, thereby ensuring value for money and resident satisfaction
  • action 17: Risk and Adaptation Plan - commence preparation of Climate and Nature – Risk and Adaptation Plan (a commitment in our 2024-28 Nature and Climate Strategy)
  • action 18: Supporting local community groups - work with local community group SSECAM - Sustainable South East Cambs to help it deliver its emerging work programme such as: the establishment of a network of volunteer ‘nature detectorists’ across the Isle of Ely villages; community based hands-on nature recovery work; exploration of community energy projects; and ‘local loop’ small business support (i.e. local businesses that make products from reclaimed, recycled or surplus materials, or who offer refill stations, rental schemes, and take back programmes)

Theme three: Water

  • action 19: Water quality - work with local volunteer groups and statutory bodies to investigate the water quality and flows in some of our rivers and streams (several of which are internationally important, such as our chalk streams), and specifically to: (a) establish a baseline of data on water quality and flow; and (b) provide recommendations on a how to maintain, and where possible, enhance the water quality and ecology of such streams or rivers. This will be a long term project going beyond 2026/27
  • action 20: Local network of reservoirs - further support the concept of a network of local agricultural reservoirs

Completed actions in previous years

If you would like to review our previous Top 20 actions and other recent achievements, please see our completed actions page.

Previous Environment Plans

Copies of our previous Environment Plans, each of which contained a set of top 20 actions as well as reporting on the council's climate emissions, our targets to become a carbon net zero council and our long term vision to boost the natural environment, can be found on this page.  

From 2024, we no longer produce a single 'Environment Plan' document and instead publish separately a four-year strategy, a set of Top 20 Actions and an annual monitoring report.