Issue - meetings

The report of the Director – Neighbourhoods is attached.

It was RESOLVED that the proposals for assessing strategic significance under Biodiversity Net Gain be approved.

The Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing, Councillor Upton presented the report of the Director – Neighbourhoods, which outlined proposals for assessing strategic significance under Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).

Councillor Upton advised that the report proposed a methodology to comply with the implementation of BNG requirements, as set out in the Environment Act 2021, expected to come into force in January 2024.  Councillor Upton stated that the BNG significance of a site needed to be determined by the Council’s local strategies and policies, as it would be fundamental to assessing planning applications.  Cabinet was advised that BNG was a method of contributing to the recovery of nature, whilst developing land, to try and ensure that wildlife habitat was in a better position than before any development occurred, with a minimum of 10% BNG required in most cases.  Councillor Upton confirmed that the Government had published a spreadsheet for Council’s to show the baseline Biodiversity value before any development and the expected value after, with a different multiplier depending on the strategic significance of the site.  Paragraph 4.5 of the report provided details of the site criteria and associated multipliers, with Paragraph 4.6 listing four types of site, which were regarding as being strategically significant, and Councillor Upton stated that if an application site was adjacent to one of the four types of site, points would be added to the spreadsheet and given a score.  Councillor Upton concluded by confirming that the proposals had been considered and endorsed by the Growth and Development Scrutiny Group in July.

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Inglis stated that BNG could be a means to safeguard wildlife and its habitation, which would be afforded a better state than it had been before development took place, with in most cases a minimum of 10% required, which would be a positive step.  Cabinet was reminded that this was a requirement of the Environment Act 2021, and it would enable the Council to proactively influence BNG delivery within the Borough.

Councillor Brennan stated that even if this was not a legal requirement, it was important that the Council did everything it could to try and mitigate the effects of increased development and enhance the natural environment. 

It was RESOLVED that the proposals for assessing strategic significance under Biodiversity Net Gain be approved.