The wildflower meadow established in front of Cambridge’s @Kings_College Chapel, supported three times more plant species and three times more spider and bug species, than the lawn - study finds besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/26…
Mark Williamson
29.8K posts
Mark Williamson
@markrwilliamson
Journalist based in Cambridge. Formerly news editor @BBCCambs, now freelance. Views here my own unless reposting. [email protected]
Cambridge UK
Joined June 2010
- Ally Louks was on @BBCCambs this morning: “It’s been an overwhelming and unusual week for someone who is usually a bookish introvert.” (at 03hr:12mins) bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0…Thrilled to say I passed my viva with no corrections and am officially PhDone.
- Today, Addenbrooke’s Hospital is treating just one Covid patient (not in critical care). Three months ago it was 244 #COVID19
- A packed, tense, public meeting this evening saw the Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire told the force had let the community down. One farmer described coursers in 4x4s ‘taking over’ his farm - ‘tearing up crops’, killing hares and deer. Another had his vehicle rammed.Tracks left by hare coursers driving across a fenland field today. Numerous vehicles involved it appears.
- Tracks left by hare coursers driving across a fenland field today. Numerous vehicles involved it appears.
- The government has also recently rejected specific protections for chalk streams - described as ‘England’s Amazon’This is why COP30 matters.
00:00 - 1/ Michael Gove visited Cambridge today, for the first time since announcing plans to ‘turbocharge’ Cambridge, and build up to 250k new homes by 2040. The Key challenge remains, where is the water coming from - a thread.
- More than 18,000 trees, plants and shrubs will be planted at a nature reserve Cambridge South station, say Network Rail. Going to need a lot of watering - will anyone be doing it? Would be interesting to know what the projected die-off rate is?
- The government has vetoed an attempt to safeguard chalk streams through an amendment to the planning bill. Labour MPs on the committee scrutinising the bill rejected a cross-party amendment to add protections for chalk streams such as Hoffer’s Brook a tributary of the Cam. 🧵1
- Hedgerow regulations now law. Includes a hedgerow cutting ban from 1 March to 31 August (inclusive). defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2024/05/23/hed…
- ‘Michael Gove’s plans to dramatically expand Cambridge by 2040 with 150,000 new homes are “nonsensical” because of the city’s lack of water infrastructure, the leaders of three Cambridgeshire councils have warned.’ - FT
- Chris Packham backs campaign to stop government building on Green Belt land.
- Swifts: Government rejects Swift brick amendment to planning bill. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill committee voted against the move today, after minister stated that while the government supported its aims, it didn’t think legislating was the correct course.
