Agenda item

To answer questions submitted by citizens on the Council or its services.

The following question was submitted by Ms Rebecca Collison.

“The sixth objective of the Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy is to ‘Seek to ensure positive impact (Biodiversity Net Gain) of development on wildlife and biodiversity whilst eliminating negative impact’ and the report sets out six initiatives designed to meet this objective, including a reference to local planning policy and using Hedgerow Regulations and Tree Preservation Orders.  Without meaningful targets; however, to measure the Council’s performance in protecting biodiversity and hedgerows on large housing developments, residents are blind to what we may be losing.  Would the Council consider including measurable targets:

• setting a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain target to be included as a condition in all large site planning permissions and including the 10% biodiversity net gain target for large site developments in the conservation strategy document;
• setting a target in the conservation strategy of zero net loss of hedgerows in Rushcliffe as a result of large housing development;
• and making a commitment to publishing hedgerow and biodiversity net gains / losses annually for large housing developments in Rushcliffe.”

Councillor Upton responded by advising that the Cabinet would be considering the Council’s Nature Conservation Strategy later in the meeting and Recommendation ‘c’ of the Strategy report stated:

‘that the Council should work with neighbouring local planning authorities and partner organisations to introduce biodiversity net gain policies that complement the Nature Conservation Strategy’s objectives’

Councillor Upton thanked Ms Collison for her question and stated that this would provide an opportunity to discuss and evaluate her suggestions.  It was also the Government’s intention to introduce legislation that would require developments to achieve a 10% net gain for biodiversity.  This requirement would be applied to relevant planning permissions when it became a legal requirement and the Borough Council would monitor the implementation of the 10% net gain requirement, in accordance with the arrangements established at the time.  Councillor Upton suggested that it would be appropriate to wait for the outcomes of the proposed Environment Act, to allow the Council to align any new biodiversity and hedgerow targets with the national ones, before considering other suggestions.

The following question was submitted by Mr Geoff East.

“Having read through the updated Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy; 2021-2025, I am heartened by the importance our council is putting on the fight against habitat loss and climate change.  I would agree that it is important to encourage creation of new sites and nature's recovery requires us to link and connect sites to allow the spread of wild native plants and animals.  Hedges and grassy verges are nature's highways, so yes, we should be seeking to protect areas and encourage sympathetic management of our grassland.

Would the Borough add a KPI to their Natural Conservation Strategy that includes a numerical target for councils to reduce, and eventually stop altogether, the use of herbicides and pesticides throughout our Parishes and WB wards?”

Councillor Brennan thanked Mr East for his question and stated that this was an important issue and advised that the use of herbicides and pesticides invoked strong emotive responses from people both for and against.  It was encouraging to note that the Nature Conservation Strategy on the agenda for consideration included numerous references to the management of verges and roadside hedges to protect plants and wildlife.  Councillor Brennan advised that she did not believe that the Strategy could go any further at this time to set targets or restrict the use of herbicides and pesticides as those areas were often managed and maintained by organisations and companies outside the control of the Council.  However, Councillor Brennan was sure that the Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy Group would consider Mr East’s views as the Group moved forward.  As a Council, and working with its contractors, Rushcliffe already considered how best to minimise the use of herbicides on land that it owned, and as part of the implementation of the Strategy the Council would work to ensure that it continued to look for opportunities for alternative means of controlling vegetation in areas where it was necessary to do so.