69 Biodiversity Duty Report PDF 263 KB
To receive a briefing paper from the Climate and Sustainability Specialist and the Director of Place and Economy stressing the need for all of the Council’s operating areas to be fully aware of their responsibility in needing to meet the general biodiversity.
Minutes:
The Group had before it a briefing paper * from the Climate and Sustainability Specialist and the Director of Place and Economy setting out the need for all of the Council’s operating areas to be fully aware of their responsibility in needing to meet the biodiversity duty.
The following was highlighted within the paper:
· The Cabinet had asked for all Policy Development Groups to consider this statutory duty under their own remits and to provide ideas and policies to take back to it so that they could be incorporated into an action plan.
· Engagement with tenants regarding this issue needed to continue and be progressed. Achievements needed to be celebrated Enhancement projects needed to be considered, for example, roosting bricks in housing developments.
· Other ideas included awareness training and improving access to the green areas when developing housing estates.
· It was confirmed that new housing schemes already incorporated enhanced levels of Biodiversity. However, one of the tensions the Group needed to be aware of was the potential conflict with other aspirations, such as the pressure for parking on housing developments. Difficult conversations may be needed going forwards if the priority of one aspiration meant other aspirations, such as housing schemes, may not get permission for development.
· There needed to be more planting of wild flower meadows where possible.
Note: * Briefing paper previously circulated.