Issue - meetings

The report of the Director – Neighbourhoods is attached.

It was RESOLVED that the adoption of the Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy 2026-2030 be approved as a Strategy of the Council.

The Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environment and Safety, Councillor Inglis, presented the report of the Director – Neighbourhoods, detailing the updated Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy 2026-2030.

Councillor Inglis stated that the Strategy was first produced in 2003 and subsequently updated and adopted by the Council three times. He detailed the aims of the current Strategy, and it was noted that it had been developed in conjunction with various groups and interested bodies forming the Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy Implementation Group (RNCSIG). The items covered and key commitments were detailed in paragraphs 4.4 to 4.6 of the report. Councillor Inglis confirmed that costs were captured within the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy, with no additional resource required and that a budget had been allocated for a five-year period, to support tree and wildflower planting in Rushcliffe, as detailed in paragraph 7.1.2. Councillor Inglis referred to the foreword of the Strategy, which highlighted Rushcliffe’s poor biodiversity scores and that it was likely due to the Borough’s successful farm production, leading to a long history of intensive agriculture. Those inequalities could not be ignored, and he stated that Rushcliffe had to do everything possible to redress that, with this report being a big part of that process. He concluded by thanking the Environmental Sustainability Officer, and the Ecology and Biodiversity Assistant, together with the RNCSIG team for their hard work.

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Upton referred to the Borough’s long history of intensive arable farming, which had led to it having relatively low levels of biodiversity, and it was important to continue to take measures to address that, as well as the impact of climate change, and he felt that this Strategy would help.

It was RESOLVED that the adoption of the Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy 2026-2030 be approved as a Strategy of the Council.