Agenda item

For Members to receive a brief update on work related to the LNRS.

Contributors:

Cllr Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Environment

Steve Bambrick, Service Director for Planning & Environment

David Sutherland, Environment Bill Readiness Manager

Nicola Thomas, Natural Environment Partnership Manager

Sachi Shah, LNRS Project Manager

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Environment, Councillor Gareth Williams, introduced the report and highlighted the following points:

·       The Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) would take around 12-18 months to develop and have a formal consultation at the end of the process. The Council had been one of five pilot authorities initially and was one of the named Responsible Authorities in the country to lead on the LNRS production in the geographic area of Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

·       Development of the LNRS would be locally led with town and parish councils as well as local environment groups. The intention was to conserve and enhance biodiversity and local habitats. 

·       The Environment Act required the planning system to have regard for the LNRS as part of an enhanced duty in relation to biodiversity and the Local Planning Authorities were awaiting Government guidance on this.

·       Development of the LNRS was at no cost to the Council due to Defra funding.

·       Introductory webinars with stakeholders to raise awareness had been met positively and well attended. The Cabinet Member noted the importance of the emerging LNRS with Buckinghamshire residents.

The following points were raised during the Committee’s discussion:

·       Further guidance from Defra regarding the weighting between the Local Plan and the LNRS was expected soon however LNRSs were designed to be compatible with Local Plans.

·       Water supplies to new developments was outside the scope of the LNRS with responsibility lying with water companies and the planning system.

·       The LNRS could prioritise the better management of existing woodland. The base line map would show the location of all habitats including woodland. Provision was made in the Environment Act to prevent the deliberate degradation of habitats ahead of the submission of a planning application; Schedule 14 Part 1 is the relevant section in relation to the pre-development biodiversity value of a site and sets how it is to be calculated and from what date. The Tree Preservation Order process was separate to the LNRS.

·       The Cabinet Member acknowledged that landowners would have an important role in the LNRS and that proactive engagement was planned with existing networks such as the Rural Forum and the National Farmers’ Union. Funding streams would be available for opportunities in the LNRS which landowners could decide to pursue, and information on this would be made as accessible as possible.

·       The Council was aware of the current biodiversity baseline and would be able to measure netgains over time as part of the Government’s audit process. The Council would have to provide evidence of what had been delivered.

·       HS2’s claim to be biodiversity neutral within 15 years of the project was outside the scope of the LNRS and may be an area for Members to question when HS2 attend in March 2024.

·       Funding from Defra for the preparation of the LNRS would mostly be allocated towards officer time so could be closely monitored and managed.

·       The Council had a close working relationship with Milton Keynes Council and Bucks Natural Environment Partnership, and a service level agreement had been formalized to outline roles and responsibilities. As part of being the Responsible Authority, Buckinghamshire Council had included mapping information and multiple datasets from Milton Keynes Council.

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member for the report and commended the work being carried out by the officer team.