Our Role
Business Plan / Mission Statement / Environmental Policy /
Conservators of the River Cam:
Business Plan
The 5-year Business Plan for the period 2013-2018 was approved by the Conservators at their meeting on 17th January 2013. It comes into effect as from 1st April 2013. The Conservators have also appointed a working group to oversee the Plan. They will meet regularly and monitor progress against the Plan’s implementation timetable. The working group will bring progress reports to future open meetings of the Conservators.
Conservators of the River Cam:
Mission Statement
The Conservators:
- will maintain the River Cam between Mill Pit and Bottisham Lock in a navigable state to suit the size and number of boats legally entitled to use this stretch of the river;
- will aim to strike a balance between the needs of the various river users, and between them and the riparian owners;
- will seek to manage the river in a manner sensitive to environmental interests.
Conservators of the River Cam:
Environmental Policy
1. The Conservators of the River Cam (“the Conservators”) have nature conservation duties under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and as a competent authority under The Conservation (Natural Habitats C) Regulation 1994. The Conservators have prepared this policy to provide a public statement of their approach to the management of the navigation on the River Cam at and below Cambridge from Bishop's Mill to Bottisham Lock (“the Conservancy Area”). The Conservators' responsibility is to maintain the River Cam within the Conservancy Area and its banks, as a navigation, insofar as they are authorised to do so under their statutes. The Environment Agency has the responsibility of maintaining the River Cam within the Conservancy Area from a flood defence point of view.
2. Much of the Conservators’ watercourse maintenance work of bankside vegetation control and de-silting is a vital and routine requirement. Whilst inevitably some short term impact will arise, this management is essential also to maintain a diverse aquatic habitat within the Conservancy Area.
3. When carrying out works, be it maintenance or improvement and consistent with the need to maintain satisfactory navigation standards, we will aim to:-
- avoid any unnecessary or long term damage to all the natural habitats, including taking appropriate professional advise when dealing with trees
- ensure no net loss of habitat covered by biodiversity action plans (if any)
- monitoring any gains and losses and reporting annually to the Environment Agency
- to take appropriate opportunities to enhance habitats
- follow the guidelines set out in the Environment Agency’s document ‘Environmental Options for Flood Defence Maintenance Works’.
4. The Conservators will play their full part in sustaining the environmental requirements for English Nature and other interested parties including the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs.
5. The Conservators of the River Cam will review this policy statement within a period not extending beyond 5 years.
6. This policy statement fulfils the Conservators' obligations and will be available to such government departments, the Environment Agency and any local authorities in the area. Copies are also available from the Conservators' Clerks' offices at Archer House, Market Place, Ely, Cambridgeshire.
Confirmed by the Conservators at their meeting held on Thursday, 23rd September 2004.
The navigation authority for the River Cam since 1702.