To receive an update on the Green Pledge.
Minutes:
The Ecology and Green Infrastructure Specialist provided Members with a verbal update on the work undertaken to establish a new biodiversity accreditation scheme known as the Green Pledge.
Following a brief provided by the Cabinet Member: Neighbourhoods, Planning & Sustainability in Spring 2024, the Council had produced two variations of the Green Pledge scheme and were now seeking feedback from the Environment Scrutiny Committee on branding and recommendations for sites, projects, partnership organisations and applicant engagement.
Members heard that version one of the Green Pledge closely resembled existing projects that were already administered by the Council such as the Green Guarantee Scheme but with a focus on areas of privately owned public open space. The Pledge would look to follow similar criteria to the Green Guarantee Scheme by way of protecting land and would prevent landowners from changing the use of the land away from public open space without further consultation with the Council.
When considering a site suitable for Green Pledge accreditation, a number of criteria would need to be met including ownership, local support, ecological value and connectivity, green network recognition and recreation. Acceptance of sites into the scheme would also earmark them for additional protection in the future including local wildlife site status.
Members also heard that the Council’s Green Network was in the process of being updated as part of the Local Plan which would help to identify suitable sites across the Borough. At the time of the meeting, the Council were current focusing on adoption of sites which were part of new and existing residential development but not owned by the Council such as the land around Lawley, Lightmoor and Ketley Millennium Village.
Version two of the Green Pledge Scheme was based on several internal and external projects delivered by the Council’s Ecology Team including the Green Guarantee Scheme, the Potters Landfill Trust Scheme and the Severn Trent Grant Scheme and would have a bigger focus on business owners, enabling organisations to demonstrate their commitment to local biodiversity. To enable the Scheme to offer fair and equitable access without penalizing organsiations for lack of land ownership, three categories had been created which landowners and/or organisations could apply for with each category having a tiered commitment system.
Members heard that the Green Space category would enable landowners and/or business owners to designate a portion of their land as protected green space for an allotted amount of time. Applicants would be encouraged to create a management plan for their open green space, either to maintain or enhance the condition and landowners could commit to one of three levels which would see land protected up to 30 years with no development or sale.
The second category of the Pledge referred to as Green Time would allow business owners to offer a set amount of volunteer hours per year. Volunteer hours could be spread between employees of an organisations and business owners could commit to one of three levels which would see up to 150 volunteer hours allocated across one year.
The final category of the Pledge referred to as Green Grant would enable business owners to offer a set donation based on business size to the management and enhancement of protected sites or biodiversity projects in the Borough.
Members were advised that as version two of the Green Pledge Scheme focuses on multiple criteria by which organisations can access the award scheme, three levels of awards would also be available to apply for:-
The Council’s Ecology Team would be responsible for carrying out the assessment process and awarding the Green Pledge Scheme accreditation to landowners and/or business owners and applicants would receive both physical and digital marking tools to demonstrate their successful application to the scheme. An annual report would also be generated to summarise how landowners and/or business owners commitments had benefitted the Borough, local community and specific projects.
Following the presentation, Members posed the following questions:-
Did the Green Pledge Scheme follow the same process as the Green Guarantee whereby land that had been protected by the Green Guarantee Scheme could only be disposed of following agreement by the Council’s Cabinet?
The Ecology and Green Infrastructure Specialist confirmed that the Green Guarantee Scheme is specific to land owned by the Council and that decisions on disposal of land protected by this scheme could not be made by Officers without full consultation with the Cabinet.
I understand that the field located at Holy Trinity Academy was protected under the Green Guarantee Scheme but was not currently accessible to the public unless a fee was paid and the use of the field was booked?
The Director: Prosperity & Investment advised that there was a community use agreement in place and that the school were required to make the use of the field available outside of school hours free of charge.
RESOLVED – that a workshop be arranged to enable the Environment Scrutiny Committee to provide feedback into the development of the Green Pledge Scheme.