Our Environmental Improvement Programme funds and delivers small-scale projects that make a lasting and noticeable improvement to the city. Anybody can request a project.
Recent projects have improved war memorials and recreation grounds, as well as landscaped areas and roadside verges. We have also added and improved fencing, gates, benches, street trees, litter bins, wayfinding lighting and notice boards.
We give each of our four area committees a capital budget in proportion to the size of its population. The committees determine which projects in their area they will fund, up to a value of £10,000.
We also have a ‘strategic’ funding budget. Projects that make better use grassy spaces and verges, enhance tree canopy and encourage biodiversity are more likely to be funded from this budget.
The amount of area and strategic funding available is limited – it’s usually not possible to fund all proposed projects in any given year.
We have run the programme since 2004. We review it every 4 or 5 years, most recently in 2021.
Other funding schemes are available for different types of projects. If your project isn't eligible for Environmental Improvement Programme funding, you could investigate S106 funding or other grants and funding.
Suggest a project
We will be inviting suggestions for new Environmental Improvement Programme projects between January and March 2022.
Your project must meet the eligibility criteria [PDF, 60Kb], with projects aiming to be delivered by the end of 2023 at the latest.
You can suggest a project that has previously been denied funding. Feel free to contact us to discuss your idea before you submit your suggestion.
We’ll assess each suggestion against the eligibility criteria and ask the relevant committees to consider the feasible ideas in spring 2022.
Local highway improvement projects
Community groups can apply for Local Highway Improvement funding – the county council will provide up to £15,000 towards successful applications.
If you apply you must contribute a minimum of 10% of the project cost. We can provide this for projects in Cambridge, for projects that meet an agreed priority.
Successful projects will be those that benefit the local community, for example by improving signs, road markings and crossings, or parking controls.
We’ll send applications for these projects to the county council for consideration for Local Highway Improvement funding.
- Find out more about privately funded highway improvements on the county council website.
Available funds
We expect to make the following amounts available to each area committee for Environmental Improvement Programme projects in 2022/23, and again in 2023/24.
- East area – Abbey, Coleridge, Petersfield and Romsey wards: £44,340
- North area – Arbury, East Chesterton, King’s Hedges and West Chesterton wards: £42,721
- South area – Cherry Hinton, Queen Edith’s and Trumpington wards: £37,170
- West/Central area – Castle, Market and Newnham wards: £31,059
Current and recent projects
Abbey
- Improving the soft landscaping to add colour and interest around Barnwell Road library
- Installing new benches on Dudley Road recreation ground
Arbury
- Improved the play area on Molewood Close
Castle
- Provision of a suitable bench around a tree in the green area at the end of Clivedon Close, with landscaping enhancement
- Provision of a bench or benches outside the shops on Histon Road
- Installation of picnic benches and cycle parking racks on Histon Road recreation ground
Cherry Hinton
- Replacement, addition and repositioning of benches on Cherry Hinton recreation ground, to address noise and antisocial behaviour complaints
- Enhancement of the war memorial on the High Street
- Enhancing biodiversity and access to Wenvoe Meadows
Coleridge
- Installing a new bus shelter on Birdwood Road
King’s Hedges
- Improving the circular tree beds on the Campkin Road shop forecourt
Market
- Installed bird, bat and bug boxes and wildflower meadows on Christ's Pieces, Jesus Green, Midsummer Common and Parker's Piece, to encourage wildlife and provide a more interesting, colourful environment
- Enhanced the landscaping of the green space on the corner of Adam and Eve Street and Paradise Street, to rejuvenate the area and discourage antisocial behaviour.
- Provision of a new street tree and engineered tree pit (if viable) on Sidney Street between Market Street and Petty Cury to assist water, heat, air quality and biodiversity management
- Enhanced access and seating on Quayside
Newnham
- Installed wayfinding lighting on the footpath and community noticeboard on Gough Way, and to the paths on Coe Fen and Driftway (Lammas Land)
Petersfield
- Offering window boxes to residents who live north of Mill Road and have no front garden, to help soften the hard landscaped street-scenes
- Installing new community noticeboards near the new community centre, and on the corner of Ainsworth Street and Sleaford Street
- Planting new street trees on Glisson Road
- Installing improved lighting on St Matthew’s Piece
Queen Edith’s
- Landscaped road narrowing at the Hills Road end of Cavendish Avenue
Romsey
- Installing new street trees and planters on Hobart Road and Suez Road, formerly in Romsey ward
Trumpington
- Provision of new benches at Byron Square and on Lime Avenue
- Planting new trees on the King George V playing field and on Bateman Street, to provide shade and encourage biodiversity
- Enhancement of the grass verges near the shops on Anstey Way, including planting wild flowers
- Installation of gates and signing on the Hobson’s Brook footpath, to deter cycling
- Installation of communal cycle parking on the Monkswell estate, to improve community cohesion
- Installation of bus shelters on the new estates
- Enhancement of the war memorial on the High Street
- Refurbishment of a 50-year-old bench on the corner of Chaucer Road and Trumpington Road, formerly in Trumpington ward
West Chesterton
- Planting the highway verge margin on the northeastern side of Hurst Park Avenue
- Reconfiguring the landscaped area at the end of Humberstone Road joining Elizabeth Way, to improve appearance and access
- Installed additional cycle parking stands around Mitcham's Corner
- Provision of a new community notice board for the Hurst Park estate, likely to be at the main entrance on Hurst Park Avenue from Milton Road
- Reinstatement of grass verge areas at the Milton Road end of Gilbert Road
- Addition of ‘hoops’ at various locations to allow cycle parking against bollards, sign posts, lighting columns and so on
- Installed a new dropped kerb on Trafalgar Street
- New road safety measures and street trees on Highworth Avenue
- Planted new street trees on Chesterton Road and Humberstone Road
Strategic funding budget
- Installation of water points on various green spaces including Cherry Hinton Hall Park, Christ’s Pieces, King’s Hedges recreation ground, Lammas Land, and Trumpington recreation ground
