Planning for Rutland’s Future - Issues and Options Consultation
Issue 10: Protecting and enhancing the County's biodiversity, wildlife habitats, green and blue infrastructure, and open spaces
Strategic Objective 6: Protecting and enhancing Rutland's varied and high-quality environment, including its natural landscapes, green infrastructure and biodiversity, as well as its rich historic built environment and cultural assets.
Biodiversity
National policy guidance on conserving and enhancing the natural environment and the criteria that will apply to sites of national and international importance for biodiversity and geological conservation is set out in the NPPF. Paragraph 179 of the NPPF sets out to protect and enhance biodiversity and geodiversity, plans should:
- Identify, map and safeguard components of local wildlife-rich habitats and wider ecological networks, including the hierarchy of international, national, and locally designated sites of importance for biodiversity; wildlife corridors and steppingstones that connect them; and areas identified by national and local partnerships for habitat management, enhancement, restoration, or creation; and
- promote the conservation, restoration and enhancement of priority habitats, ecological networks and the protection and recovery of priority species; and identify and pursue opportunities for securing measurable net gains for biodiversity.
The Council has a legal duty to conserve biodiversity. A key role for the Local Plan is to ensure that future growth, especially in terms of housing and the economy, can take place without damaging the high-quality environment. If impacts are unavoidable then the Council must make sure mitigation is put in place to reduce any harm. This is particularly important in relation to the internationally protected habitats and species designations
Green (vegetation) and blue (water) assets together form a network which brings a wide range of benefits in addition to the habitats they provide. Rutland has 19 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) including Rutland Water which, as an internationally important wetland for wintering and passage wildfowl, is also designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar site. There are 284 local wildlife sites and important areas of calcareous grassland and ancient and broadleaved woodland in the county.
The New Local Plan will need to ensure that development does not threaten these habitats, including through climate change adaptation and mitigation, and to create new open spaces and/or improve the quality of existing open spaces to meet local recreation and ecology needs more effectively.
Government policy encourages biodiversity net gain to be sought through planning policies and decisions. Biodiversity net gain should deliver measurable improvements for biodiversity by creating or enhancing habitats in association with development and can be achieved on or off site. One of provisions of the Environment Act (2021) is the mandatory requirement for new developments to provide 10% biodiversity net gain. The Council will take into account this requirement in preparing the Local Plan and set out further details required to provide clarity over the requirements and how they relate to the County.
The Council will need provide new evidence on biodiversity and wildlife for the County as the existing evidence is limited and dated. This will provide an opportunity for the Council to consider how the new Local Plan can best plan for the protection and enhancement of Rutland's biodiversity while still achieving the growth that is needed and develop Local Nature Recovery Strategies. The council will also need to ensure that the new Local Plan meets the requirements of the Environment Act 2021, particularly in relation to meeting Biodiversity Net Gain targets.
In addition, there is a specific process, a Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA), for testing the impacts of the proposed Local Plan Review strategy on the integrity of the European nature conservation sites in and close to Rutland. This process requires cumulative impacts to be assessed which take account of development in other Counties and districts adjoining Rutland. The council will appoint consultants to undertake this technical assessment which is ongoing throughout the plan making process.
Which option do you consider to be most appropriate to include in the Rutland Local Plan?
Option A: Review and update existing Local Plan policies to take full account of national planning policy and guidance, and the Environment Act, (this would include a clear statement of the mitigation hierarchy; the requirement for 10% net gain in biodiversity; and support for the development of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy covering Rutland as it relates to requirements from new development.)
Option B: Consider a mapping exercise to record a biodiversity baseline for Rutland and identify locations where there are opportunities to improve or restore existing wildlife habitat and create new habitat to strengthen the ecological network across the plan area. This would help provide guidance on how Rutland County Council can meet the requirement of the Environment Act.
Open Spaces, Green and Blue Infrastructure
The need to increase physical activity is being more clearly recognised especially in the health, planning and urban design sectors. A well-designed neighbourhood will encourage people to increase the amount of physical activity they do. It can be encouraged through safe walking and cycling routes and good access to sports, recreational and play facilities along with other green spaces.
Graphic showing the sorts of areas which are classed as blue and green infrastructure and what uses they can be. It also shows how these areas can help with mitigation of the effects of climate change
National policy recognised the importance of providing access to a network of high-quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity for the health and well-being of communities. This can also deliver wider benefits for nature and support efforts to address climate change. It sets outs planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport, and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision. Information gained from the assessments should be used to determine what open space, sport and recreational provision is needed, which plans should then seek to accommodate.
National policy also protects the existing open space, sports and recreational facilities from development unless there it can be proven to be surplus, replaced elsewhere or the benefits outweigh the loss of the current use.
To ensure the Council's evidence is up to date and a new Open Space Assessment is being commissioned which will inform the policy in the Local Plan and developer contributions. In addition to this a Play Pitch Strategy for Rutland will be commissioned to assess the current provision and identify existing and future requirements for different types of sports pitches and facility enhancements.
Question 48 Options for Open spaces
Which option(s) do you consider to be most appropriate to include in the Rutland Local Plan?
Option A: Continue with existing approach which includes a standard for open space provision by large scale developments and update the evidence base.
The withdrawn Local Plan set out the updated provision standards per 1000 population for each type of open space. This is a well-established approach and would be supported by updated Open Space Assessment evidence. The policy also sets out standards regarding the accessibility and quality of the open space provision.
Future needs would also be derived from the latest Playing Pitch Strategy (or equivalent) for sports related facilities.
Option B: Set no specific standards but require provision to be delivered in line with the Council's most up to date evidence.
This approach would help to future proof the policy throughout the life span of the Local Plan (given that Sport England recommend that open space and playing pitch evidence is updated every 3 years).
Option C: Set out additional development criteria for new green infrastructure provision
Alongside either Option A or B, additional criteria could be developed which sets out requirements of open space provision. For example, this could include making sure that it is located to maximise its accessibility for all or designed to encourage different groups of people to exercise.
Question 49 Options for the protection of Green and Blue Infrastructure
Which option do you consider to be most appropriate to include in the Rutland Local Plan?
Option A: Continue with existing policy approach to protect identified open space and sports facilities from development
Local Plan policy sets out that the existing green infrastructure network will be safeguarded, improved and enhanced by further provision to ensure accessible multi-functional green spaces by linking existing areas of open space identified open space and sports facilities.
Option B: Develop a Green and Blue Infrastructure (GBI) strategy for the protection, enhancement and management of the Green and Blue Infrastructure network.
Identify and map the GBI assets of Rutland. Strengthen the existing policy approach by developing a strategy to establish potential opportunities to protect and improve the management of green and blue infrastructure assets, establish a network of multi-functional green space and create new linkages between existing assets.
Question 50
Do you have any additional suggestions or comments about how the Local Plan can help protect and enhance the County's biodiversity, wildlife habitats, green and blue infrastructure, and open spaces?
