Croft Close Set-aside now Croft Close Nature Reserve

Croft Close Nature Reserve

It’s been three years since the people of Histon & Impington came together, through the agency of Histon & Impington Green Spaces (HIGS), to acquire the two Abbey Fields which came available as a result of the sale of the Abbey Farm estate. These fields, Long Meadow alongside Park Lane and  Croft Close Set-aside (CCSA) at the end of Croft Close, had been open to public access and this is now protected in perpetuity.

For some time it’s been felt that CCSA is inappropriately named. Unlike Long Meadow which is a meadow CCSA is not a set-aside. This relates to a scheme introduced by the Government in 1988 and although the field was set aside in the late 90s this was not done under the scheme.

This land at the end of Croft Close has become wild and a home to nature. It has qualified as a County Wildlife Site  in recognition of its role in providing a home for many species and its locally unique mix of habitats including woodland and scrub. HIGS  has therefore decided to rename it and to call it a nature reserve but to retain Croft Close as a part of its name.

Nature Reserve is not a statutory designation in planning terms so it neither gives the field any extra protection nor imposes conditions on its management. It simply reflects what people think of it.

The HIGS trustees consulted its members on the proposed name change and they were unanimous in supporting it.

The new name, Croft Close Nature Reserve (CCNR), will be used immediately. There will be no specific program to replace the old name where it has been used but over time it will disappear.

David Jenkins, HIGS Chair

See also this report on the HI HUB website.