The Environment department plays a vital role in safeguarding the unique character of Cambridge and supporting the quality of life of our local communities.
The department works to meet the housing needs of local people and ensure the city's continued economic success through planning and ensuring good quality design of new developments.
While looking to deliver future growth and prosperity, we also aim to preserve Cambridge's historic identity, its natural open spaces and ensure the cleanliness of its streets.
We aim to be at the forefront of low-carbon living and will continue to seek improvement in recycling opportunities, public transport, cycle routes and other environmental initiatives.
Through strong liaison with our local communities, we aim to deliver high-quality services that give everybody who lives in, works in or visits Cambridge a positive experience of it.
Director of Environment: Simon Payne
- Email simon.payne@cambridge.gov.uk
- Telephone 01223 457101
Services
Joint Urban Design
Head of Joint Urban Design: Glen Richardson
- Email glen.richardson@cambridge.gov.uk
- Telephone 01223 457985
The Joint Urban Design team works in liaison with South Cambridgeshire District Council.
The team is involved in the preparation of urban design strategies, providing support to planning services in review and negotiation of planning applications, member and officer training, project management of development briefs and design-based policy documents, and the 3D digital modelling of the city.
Planning
Head of Planning: Patsy Dell
- Email patsy.dell@cambridge.gov.uk
- Telephone 01223 457103
Service responsibilities include:
- planning policy
- development control, including growth sites on city fringes
- planning enforcement
- building control
- historic environment
Refuse and Environment
Head of Refuse and Environment: Jas Lally
- Email jas.lally@cambridge.gov.uk
- Telephone 01223 457881
The Refuse and Environment service is responsible for a number of areas, including:
- waste collection and waste strategy
- recycling strategy
- environmental health services and enforcement
- licensing of premises and taxis
- fleet management
- private-sector housing
- health promotion
- pollution monitoring for land and air quality
Specialist Services
Head of Specialist Services: Paul Necus
- Email paul.necus@cambridge.gov.uk
- Telephone 01223 458510
Specialist Services manages Cambridge's cemeteries and the crematorium on Huntingdon Road. It provides sensitive services to meet the needs of bereaved families, including physical memorials, memorial gardens, buildings and cemeteries, and works closely with all stakeholders in the funeral service to ensure dignified and meaningful service.
The service manages and maintains all of our public off-street car parking and the Shopmobility services at the Grand Arcade and Grafton shopping centres. This includes five multi-storey car parks and four surface car parks in the city centre, and a small number of free car parks.
The service manages a contract with Cambridgeshire County Council for the enforcement of off-street parking regulations.
It manages and maintains all of the council's fixed public-space CCTV cameras, and monitors CCTV installed in a range of council services, including car parks, housing projects, and the Mill Road depot, and also for a number of external customers. It also manages redeployable CCTV cameras that are temporarily located around the city, and a customer texting service.
The service also manages all emergency calls into the council outside of normal hours.
Streets and Open Spaces
Director of Streets and Open Spaces: Toni Ainley
- Email toni.ainley@cambridge.gov.uk
- Telephone 01223 458201
Service responsibilities include:
- city rangers
- promoting cycling and walking
- improving the local environment
- open spaces and grounds maintenance
- public art
- public conveniences
- removal of (and enforcement action against) litter, graffiti, fly-posting, fly-tipping and abandoned vehicles
- street cleansing (including the provision of litter, dog waste and street recycling bins)
- street name plates
- sustainable drainage and watercourse management
- tree management (including planting)
Tourism and City Centre Management
Head of Tourism and City Centre Management: Emma Thornton
- Email emma.thornton@cambridge.gov.uk
- Telephone 01223 457464
The service is responsible for Visit Cambridge, the official tourism service for Cambridge, which includes the running of the Tourist Information Centre, Cambridge guided walking tours, an accommodation booking service and the Visit Cambridge Membership scheme which supports and promotes tourism business in and around Cambridge.
The service's responsibilities also include the operational management of the market, the Sunday arts, craft and local food market, and the All Saints arts and craft market.
This service also looks after street trading and pavement cafes in the city centre and aims to proactively manage a broad range of other on-street activity in the city centre.
