Ditton Meadows Heras fencing : environmental stewardship derogation from Natural England?

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge did not have the information requested.

Dear Sir/Madam

I note that significant lengths of Heras fencing have recently appeared on Ditton Meadows.

These appear to interfere with the agreement you hold with Natural England under an environmental stewardship scheme, both by preventing grazing management and by interfering with public and permissive rights of way.

The fencing is also within a Conservation Area and appears related to construction and not farming. As such it would also require planning permission as it is not permitted development.

I realise that these meadows that were gifted to you have been under your stewardship for a long time and well-managed by you allowing wildlife such as water voles to flourish, despite assertions by Capita of you overgrazing them. I think therefore there could have been some misunderstanding of the implications of their actions by Cambridgeshire County Council.

Could you though confirm :

1. whether the fencing was put up with your permission
2. whether you have a derogation in place for the fencing from Natural England for your agreement.

Many thanks for your response and once again for allowing enjoyment of this marvellous open greenspace for the public.

Yours faithfully,

Chris Smith

CAIUS Senior Bursar, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

Dear Mr Smith,

In answer to your questions, the College does not hold any records specifically relating to the two points raised, as the property and the stewardship agreement are managed by Bidwells. I can, however, confirm that a 250-year lease has been granted to the County Council for the construction and maintenance of a new linear pedestrian and cycle path.

The Council has erected temporary Heras fencing to delineate the construction site and is responsible for compliance with any relevant statutory planning requirements. Bidwells has been liaising for several months with Natural England over the implications for the stewardship agreement. It has, on the College’s behalf, applied both for a temporary derogation in relation to an area of flood mitigation and also for the termination of part of the agreement where the path will be constructed.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of this decision, you should write to the Senior Bursar, Gonville & Caius College, Trinity Street, Cambridge, CB2 1TA 0DF who will then assign an appropriate person to conduct the internal review. If subsequently you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the College. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Gardiner

RG Gardiner MA FCA

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Dear Robert

Many thanks for your information.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Smith

Richard Taylor left an annotation ()

Section 3(2)(b) of the Freedom of Information Act states information is considered to be held by a public body if it is held by another person on behalf of the authority. Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge cannot evade a request for information by saying the material is held by its property agent.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/200...

That said the response does appear to fully address the questions raised.