Agenda item

Report of the Director – Neighbourhoods

The Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer presented the Nottinghamshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) report and provided a presentation and overview of key aspects of the report to the Group.

The Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer explained that the Environment Act 2021 required the production of Local Nature Recovery Strategies. He said that the County Council had been designated as the Responsible Body for Nottinghamshire by DEFRA, with Rushcliffe Borough Council designated as a Supporting Authority and as such, was a consultee for the draft strategy and would need to consider the Strategy in relation to its own policies and strategies.

The Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer shared a video with the Group which highlighted the various habitats and wildlife in the local area and which encouraged participation in  the survey to help shape nature recovery in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire: https://nottsnaturerecovery.co.uk and Local nature recovery strategy for Nottinghamshire | Nottinghamshire County Council.

The Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer explained that an LNRS was a new statutory system for spatial strategies for nature’s recovery, was locally led, transparent and collaborative and set out the agreed priorities. He said that it was map based, mapping the most valuable existing areas for nature and setting specific proposals for creating or improving habitat for nature and the wider environmental benefits. He said that whilst the map was not yet publicly available online, it would be in the future, with both the map and documentation comprising the LNRS.

In relation to governance, the Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer said that in addition to the District Councils, the East Midlands Combined County Authority and Natural England were Supporting Bodies and that Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Economic Prosperity Committee provided political oversight. He added that a working group, mapping group, planning group, farmers and landowners’ group, species specialist group and a public consultation had also fed into the LNRS.

In relation to consultation, the Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer said that engagement had been undertaken with statutory Bodies, conservation organisations, parish councils and that public events and an online survey had been conducted.

In relation to mapping and priority measures, the Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer said that measures would look to enhance existing habitats and protect new habitats in ways that were practical, realistic and deliverable. He said that measures would also bring wider environmental benefits such as natural flood management, carbon sequestration and improving public access to green spaces. He took the Group through the various types of habitat that had been mapped, including woodland, wetland and watercourses, heathland, grassland, farmland, urban and post-industrial and species.

The Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer said that a public consultation would take place from 6 May 2025 to 16 June 2025, followed by notification to the Secretary of State in summer 2025 and potential adoption and publication of the LNRS in summer / autumn 2025. A review of the Strategy would be completed by DEFRA at some point between 3 –10 years after publication.

Councillor Ellis thought that the Strategy seemed ambitious and asked how much was achievable. The Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer said that it was unclear as yet what funding and grant aid would be available to support measures and implementation.

Councillor Plant asked about landowner involvement and the Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer said that it was possible that some landowners would not wish for their land to be included in the mapping and may ask for it to be removed as part of the consultation, but equally they may qualify for funding to bring in measures so may wish for it to be included.

Councillor R Mallender said that there was much land across the County which could be linked up, including on pieces of land on housing developments. The Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer referred to biodiversity net gain commitments for developers and said that if they could not deliver their biodiversity commitments on their sites they could buy biodiversity units from someone else or equally could sell units from their sites (land banking).

Councillor R Mallender asked about tree cover and whether there was opportunity to increase this in the Borough, with species other than conifers. The Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer confirmed that whilst there was benefit from conifers, there were plans to revert some local conifer plantations on areas that had previously been ancient woodland.

Councillor R Mallender referred to the inclusion of water courses in the Strategy and hoped that some of them could be reclaimed. The Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer confirmed that both he and the Environment Agency had pushed for this to be included in the Strategy due to the importance of reconnecting floodplain with rivers to reclaim a more natural approach to water management.

The Chair asked whether the Crown Estate had been consulted and the Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer said that they had been approached but had not responded as yet. He thought that they may be waiting for the draft map and documentation to be published before commenting as part of the consultation.

The Chair asked whether the public could put forward new areas that they thought may be of interest in their local areas and the Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer confirmed that they would be able to.

The Chair asked about review framework for the Strategy and the Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer explained that both the document and sites would be reviewed as part of the progress review of what had been achieved.

Councillor Billin asked if landowners did not want their land to be included could alternative sites be put forward. The Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer said that the public consultation would be wide ranging and would offer opportunity to put forward proposals and new areas, but caveated that any sites would need to be deliverable and meet requirements, such as for habitat and species.

Members of the Group asked about promotion of the consultation and the Senior Ecology and Sustainability Officer said that whilst the County would lead on communications as Responsible Body, Rushcliffe Borough Council would promote it through its own media channels and to parish councils. In response to questions about taking information into schools, he said that there wasn’t resource for Officers to do this and noted that the County Council Officer’s role would end in August with future funding for it not as yet confirmed.

Members of the Group asked that Officers feedback concerns about levels of resourcing and how the LNRS consultation would be communicated and promoted. 

It was RESOLVED that the Communities Scrutiny Group:

a)    supported the draft LNRS, and support Nottinghamshire County Council going out to public consultation on the draft LNRS

b)    made recommendations for any additions or alterations that they consider should be made to the draft LNRS (if required)

c)    supported the Council responding to the Supporting Authorities consultation by Nottinghamshire County Council with the decisions given at 2a and 2b.