Biodiversity Net Gain: Creating a Thriving Community in Harmony with Nature

Garden Villages are by their nature green. Our scheme will protect at least 48% of existing green space within the site and increase biodiversity by up to 20%, double the minimum requirement.

What we are doing

• Planting over 5 hectares of new woodland (around 55,000 new native trees) as part of the Forest for Cornwall plans to support cleaner air and help to capture carbon.
• Creating a new tree nursery on the site
• Providing around 35 acres of natural green space and over 6km of walking and cycling routes at Governs Park
• Locating new housing completely in the landscape, connected with the existing settlements through a green buffer along the A390
• Providing allotments, community farm, community gardens and community orchards to support food production and bring communities together
• Designing the main road through the site (Fordh Langarth) with high quality landscaping
• Retaining existing field patterns where possible and protecting existing Cornish hedges, rivers and wetland areas to provide habitats for insects, songbirds and badgers.
• Creating 720 metres of new Cornish hedges, and wildflower meadows
• Providing sports pitches and public open spaces for play and recreation
• Improving access to existing countryside with walkable green corridors, cycleways and pedestrian walkways connecting all parts of the development, and creating river and woodland walks.
• Providing improved surface water drainage, with new basins, wetlands and swales increasing biodiversity and providing habitats for insects, songbirds, badgers, otters and other amphibians
• Using robust design codes to ensure buildings and other structures on the site incorporate green roofs or green walls.
• Ensuring new buildings will have bird boxes, bat boxes and bat bricks and, where appropriate, incorporate barn owl or bat ‘lofts, together with hedgehog holes in fences to allow the animals to easily move between gardens.
• Encouraging future home owners to leave an area of their garden “wild” to encourage wildlife, and to plant pollinator friendly plants and small trees, etc.

The majority of proposed planting will involve native trees. The landscape plan with Fordh Langarth , however, allows for some ornamental species in specific locations where space or conditions dictate.

A  rain garden’  is a shallow area of ground or dip which receives run-off from roofs and other hard surfaces. It is planted with plants that can stand waterlogging for up to 48 hours at a time’. Shallow areas beside the road with water tolerant planting.

Yes all the garden city principles have been incorporated and are also covered by the 10 agreed Design Principles:

1. Land value capture for the benefit of the community.
2. Strong vision, leadership and community engagement.
3. Community ownership of land and long-term stewardship of assets.
4. Mixed-tenure homes and housing types that are genuinely affordable.
5. A wide range of local jobs in the Garden City within easy commuting
   of homes.
6. Beautifully and imaginatively designed homes with gardens, combining
   the best of town and country to create healthy communities, and including
   opportunities to grow food.
7. Development that enhances the natural environment, providing a
   comprehensive green infrastructure network and net biodiversity gains,
   and that uses zero-carbon and energy-positive technology to ensure
   climate resilience.
8. Strong cultural, recreational and shopping facilities in walkable, vibrant,
   sociable neighbourhoods.
9. Integrated and accessible transport systems, with walking, cycling and
   public transport designed to be the most attractive forms of local
   transport.

Every aspect of the Design Principles provides innovation and distinction.
Green ethics include:

• Reduced reliance on cars and reduced parking need due to encouragement of modal shift to sustainable transport and movement.
• Improving transport links – with works to improve the existing A390 as part of a wider transport strategy for Truro, as well as delivering the new Northern Access Road at the start of the development, walkable and cycle friendly streets which link with new cycle routes into and around the city, and improved public transport, with increased bus services, cheaper fares and E-Bike & E-car clubs.
• Improved connectivity with generous and interconnected green corridors linking to existing settlements.
• Protecting at least 48% of the existing green space within the site (compared with just 19% in the previous applications).
• Building high quality homes to a standard higher than current building regulations, with a target of achieving Zero Carbon.
• Creating a vibrant, co-ordinated development where people want to live, work and visit, with green and public spaces allowing communities to interact and flourish; live-work housing solutions, including access to superfast broadband and support for start-ups and growth for small and medium sized enterprises, and new sports, cultural and play areas.
• Setting the development within the historic fields to minimise impact on existing hedgerows, and creating new hedges to help increase biodiversity and to build on the Cornish heritage of the site Planting Forest for Cornwall.
• Providing allotments, a community farm, community gardens and community orchards to support food production and bring communities together.