Agenda item

To receive the report on the Biodiversity Duty Consideration and Action Plan.

Councillor C Healy, Cabinet Member Neighbourhoods, Planning & Sustainability presented the report which sought the adoption of the Biodiversity Duty Consideration Report and Action Plan following the Government’s implementation of an Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) in 2023.  This EIP set out how the UK would meet its international obligations by 2030 and its commitments up to 2042.

The Council, as a significant landowner, had set out an action plan with a wide ranging impact both inside and outside of the borough and included the protection of the borough’s natural environment, taking a leading role in tackling climate emergency, holding a Tree City of the World designation, signatories to the West Midlands’ Biodiversity Pledge, reducing its carbon emissions by over 60% and protecting green spaces through statutory and non-statutory designations.

In advance of these commitments, the Environment Act 2021 set out the requirements to deliver a step-change in nature conservation across England. These include Section 102 of the Environment Act 2021, which had amended the pre-existing Biodiversity Duty on public bodies in England (Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006), which included conserving and enhancing biodiversity.  Section 40a of the Act prescribes the requirement for monitoring and reporting and included the timetable for monitoring, reporting and subsequent reviews.  The Act also included significant changes in relation to Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies and had set up a new national body which would oversee environmental compliance.

The Action Plan followed the Government’s published guidance which had set out the SMART based actions and the actions were identified in the Plan at part 2 of the document.

The Environment Act required the Council to publish its first monitoring report by the 26 March 2026 to include the specific elements on the delivery of Biodiversity Net Gain.  Following this report the corporate Biodiversity Duty Plan must be reviewed and reported at least once every five years.

Cabinet Members welcomed the report and the work that had gone into it to ensure the legislation had been complied. 

The Leader of the Conservative Group noted the national target dates of 2030 and 2042 which would allow time for changes to be made.  He noted that Telford had been awarded Tree City Status which he considered an interesting concept.  The Local Plan referenced that 8,000 houses would be built on food production land which he considered inappropriate.  In relation to the Transport Plan, it was important to have a range of investments and contractors to maintain alternative forms of travel such as cycle paths and walkways. He noted that the report did not list allotments within Newport.  In relation to leaving areas uncut, it was important that the public had confidence that these areas had been allocated and not neglected.  He noted the ambition was to have more rain gardens but asked how many the borough currently had and asked if the council had a baseline for the number of species of trees and whether this would improve biodiversity.  It was important to ensure that developers were note buying their way out of biodiversity net gain or greenwashing and in relation to the overall context he considered that the borough was a nature depleted disaster.

Cabinet Members, in response to these comments, confirmed that the term ‘Tree City’ referred to cities or towns.  The borough had a very good active travel network with investment into Newport, Oakengates and other town centre areas, together with the Silkin Way.  Work would continue around grass cutting and mowing but there would be a mix of wildflower meadow and seed mix planting and it was important to note that some of these areas would not flower but were equally important to wildlife habitats.  The council would continue to look for opportunities for tree planting and replace tree cover where ash die back had occurred.  In relation to the baseline, work was being undertaken on the local nature recover strategy across both Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire in order to enhance and connect up areas following the hierarchy set out in the Local Plan but if it was not possible within the borough then this would link back to the Local Nature Recovery Plan and areas such as wetlands which were an international important habitat.

RESOLVED that:

a)    the importance of protecting and restoring biodiversity for the borough and its residents be noted;

b)   the commitment to safeguard, enhance and improve biodiversity in accordance with the Biodiversity Duty be approved; and

c)    the Biodiversity Duty Consideration Report & Action Plan be adopted.