Decision details

Cabinet had before it a report * from the Head of Finance, Property & Climate Resilience and Climate and Sustainability Specialist on the Statutory Duty to Conserve and Enhance Biodiversity.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change outlined the contents of the report with particular reference to the following:

• The Statutory Duty plan encouraged innovation and set out achievable goals. However, service teams had identified new ways to report on how to make a difference with Biodiversity Net Gain.
• The plan aimed to support ecological awareness in the service teams, it aimed to boost nature on Council owned land, and it set a goal for partnership schemes to boost nature at a landscape scale.
• As explained in the report, the Local Planning Authority role had set duties to discharge in line with National Policy and this was separate and distinct from anything which the Council chose to do as a corporate land / property owner.
• The consultation had been to the Planning and Policy Advisory Group (PPAG) and each of the Policy Development Groups.

Discussion took place regarding:

• Under the Planning, Environment and Sustainability Policy Development Group, they were looking at new builds and legal requirements as to what was stipulated from a house building perspective.

• New build houses and the approach from developers to help towards biodiversity and to consider bird houses and bricks for bees to be included in this document.
• The ecological surveys on developments.
• As a Council to put pressure on developers to provide more eco-friendly projects.
• Rewilding of farms this would contribute greatly towards biodiversity net gain.
• Support the environment locally and the hope of support, from the Climate Nature and Water Bill that was currently going through Parliament.

RESOLVED that the draft Biodiversity Duty Action Plan as recommended by the Planning, Environment and Sustainability Policy Development Group be APPROVED.

(Proposed by the Cllr N Bradshaw and seconded by Cllr S Clist)

Reason for Decision:

The Council’s environmental sustainability duties were underpinned by legislation e.g. Environment Act 2021 as noted.

Note: * Report previously circulated.