Buntingford Park will offer a broad range of green spaces from formal spaces such as a community orchard, to more informal environments that allow biodiversity to flourish. The mixture of green spaces in Buntingford Park, and the wider development itself, will offer differing experiences, from community growing areas for both the new and existing communities, to ‘Play along the Way’ opportunities, all tied together through a greenway. The greenway will loop around Buntingford Park, connecting the various experiences along the route, as an accessible and attractive route through nature.

The green network will weave into the development, preserving and enhancing existing hedgerows and habitats. This integration of nature within the development offers closer connections to the environment, enables local wildlife to thrive, and ensures the new community is more resilient to climate change challenges.

It is key that the proposals can sustainably manage water from new development. Current legislation and guidance also require developers to mitigate flood risk to the site and wider area, and to provide a sustainable means of transferring run-off from impermeable areas of the site.

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are an environmentally beneficial way to manage rainfall, capturing, transporting, and slowing run-off of water. This is particularly beneficial in times of heavy rainfall. A range of options for SuDS to be created on-site have been explored as part of this application.

The site is characterised by arable land with hedgerows, featuring small woodlands, a wet ditch, and the Thistley Vale Brook adjacent to the site. These habitats will be retained and buffered from development, and opportunities exist to enhance existing habitats, as well as provide new hedgerows and tree planting. Large areas of open space within the development also create the potential for habitat creation, positively contributing to Biodiversity Net Gain.