The council has a long-standing record and commitment to the environment, enabling Huntingdonshire to be a good place to live and work, with a good start in life and a place to enjoy good health.
With the adoption of our Climate Strategy and Action Plan in February 2023, we will be drawing all our activity together to measure and monitor our impact on CO2 and nature. This will help us make sure we continue to deliver and influence positive change towards a Net Carbon Zero District Council by 2040.
Our own activities
Between 2019 and 2025, HDC has reduced its carbon emissions by 1,032 tCO2e. This has been achieved through a series of innovative investments:
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Fleet transition: HDC completed a successful trial of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), resulting in Cabinet approving its use across all standard diesel vehicles. This is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by 1,100 tonnes annually.
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Facilities upgrades: many of HDC corporate sites, including One Leisure buildings, have been retrofitted. This has included the installation of a solar canopy on the car park at One Leisure St Ives. As well as this, a building energy strategy [PDF, 3.5MB] was completed in October 2025. This has provided a valuable evidence base to determine the next retrofit steps, which include fitting Pathfinder House with solar panels.
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Green tariffs: HDC moved on to green tariffs on its main sites from September 2024, which has reduced our Scope 2 emissions to zero.
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Education and events: HDC has held a series of annual climate conversations over the last 3 years. Each specifically themed, they have brought together stakeholders, residents, businesses, community groups, farmers and beyond to discuss and inspire Climate action.
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EV Charging points: following the installation of Electric Vehicle Charging points in our car parks using grant funding, HDC has so far supported an estimated 150,000 miles of more environmentally friendly travel.
Our natural environment
95% of our residents having visited a park or open space and 64% say they are essential to their quality of life. Supporting them to preserve and increase nature for our residents to enjoy is crucial.
We have planted more pictorial meadows, the equivalent footprint of 5 and a half Wembley stadiums, to help double nature and increase biodiversity in our open spaces. The pictorial meadows are not only a huge benefit for the wildlife.
Berman Park has been a successful addition to St Ives, a brand new natural park for residents to enjoy and for wildlife and biodiversity to thrive.
We are working towards project delivery of £2.5million investment in our open spaces and country parks over the next 3 years, including Hinchingbrooke Country Park and Paxton Pits Nature Reserve.
Three of our parks and open spaces have been awarded a Green Flag and Hinchingbrooke Country Park and Priory Park hold a further award for protecting bee habitats.
HDC is the guardian of 1,534 hectares of green space, 43 hectares of woodlands and a managed tree canopy of 400 hectares.
Our Tree Strategy [PDF, 28MB], adopted in 2020, will increase the tree canopy in Huntingdon, planting over 3,000 more trees and protecting those that we have.
Our built environment
We are also working hard to help shape our built environment for good, through planning policy, guidance and interventions.
Adopted in May 2019, Huntingdonshire’s Local Plan identifies several Green Infrastructure Priority Areas. The policy also sets out our approach to protecting and enhancing Huntingdonshire’s green infrastructure for the benefit of biodiversity and residents for recreation and leisure.
Green infrastructure serves to balance built development - it gives opportunities for people to access open space and provides habitats for wildlife. Improving the ecological, visual, heritage and recreational value of the countryside, while bringing environmental, social and health benefits.
The Local Plan to 2036 includes 8 key policies to shape Huntingdonshire’s environment:
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LP2 - Strategy for Development - minimises travel to access employment and leisure opportunities, promotes cycling and walking
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LP3 - Protect and enhance green infrastructure for biodiversity with increased green space trees to store carbon and reduce flooding impact
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LP5 - Flood risk - minimises contribution to further flooding, protect our vital floodplains
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LP12 - Design for energy efficiency to reduce energy demands, challenging but achievable zero carbon target
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LP16 - Sustainable travel, increased opportunities for walking and cycling
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LP30 - Biodiversity, priority habitats
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LP35 - Renewable and low carbon energy, supporting energy generation reducing fossil fuel use
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LP36 - Air quality, attention to impact of new developments including promotion of clean air zones.