Decision details

This is a change request was recommended for approval by Investment Panel on 24 October 2024 and approved by the Chief Executive Officer on 31 October 2024.

It is to extend the project completion date to FY 2025/26 from FY 2024/25 and broaden the scope of the project to include initiatives identified/shaped with stakeholders that were not directly referenced with the original Chalk Stream Audit report.

The original Business Case focused on selecting interventions from the Chalk Streams Audit list, which outlined specific projects aimed at addressing chalk stream degradation. However, the Chalk Stream Audit Report that informed the original business case was based on walk-over surveys, which lacked important geological, ecological, and hydrological evidence-based research. Furthermore, historic chalk stream restoration in Greater Cambridge has been delivered without pre- and post-project monitoring, leaving the success or failure of these efforts unassessed. There is also a significant lack of evidence-based chalk stream research in the region.

Consequently, the Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project (GCCSP) has adapted to focus on providing case study sites that will collate valuable evidence-based data. This will support informed decision-making on chalk stream and riparian habitat restoration using a catchment-based approach. Isolated, unmonitored small restoration projects are not good value for CPCA funds, and this project aims to ensure that restoration efforts are backed by rigorous research and comprehensive monitoring.

Chief Executive Officer approval of Change Requests for a change of scope, through the Single Assurance Framework