Decision details

The Strategic Director of Place firstly introduced Members to the Senior Biodiversity and Nature Recovery Officer who was co-author of the report. The fund would allow the Council to influence positive enhancement of biodiversity in Gloucestershire and see net gain benefits locally. The requirements for the Fund were legislative which will be run as an organisational entity with all Planning authorities in Gloucestershire and will require all development to demonstrate at least a 10% improvement in biodiversity either within the site or England, ideally Gloucestershire.

A Project Manager post hosted by the GFirst LEP and Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership was in the process of establishing recipient sites for nature recovery and biodiversity net gain and whilst the Memorandum of Understanding was not legally binding, SDC wanted to encourage net gain requirements in Gloucestershire. 

In response to members questions, the following answers were provided:

• Secondary legislation had not yet been published however planning approval would be accepted on the basis that the developers’ ecologists had calculated the net gain which SDC Officers would then validate before payment due.
• Where possible the net gain should be added back into the development site or as close to it. However if the developer proposed for it to be offsite, SDC would be required to be satisfied with the developers assessment and subject to a 30 year conservation covenant.
• Legal requirement for monitoring and enforcement would sit with the local Planning Authority.
• Gloucestershire Nature and Climate Fund (GNCF) was established from the Local Nature Partnership as a broker between local authorities and developers and is the only group working with local authorities to identify strategic locations.
• There is currently the capacity within the SDC enforcement team however the Senior Biodiversity and Nature Recovery Officer had arranged a meeting to discuss capacity and resources with the Planning service.

Proposed by Councillor Brown and seconded by Councillor Smith.

Councillor Watson reiterated the importance of the net gain being kept local and the positive impact on residents it would have.

On being put to the Vote, the Motion was carried unanimously.