1050356 Appendix a Green Corridor
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Joint Examination of the Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan 2013-32 (WHLP) and the East Herts District Plan 2011-33 (EHDP) Birchall Garden Suburb (BGS)/East of Welwyn Garden City (EWEL1) Supplementary statement by Dr Jonathan Fisher (Freelance Environmental economist) & Dr Barrie Goldsmith(Ecologist and SUSTRANS Ranger) On behalf of the Central Hertfordshire Green Corridor Group Appendix A Our Green Corridor Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services Benefits Dr Jonathan Fisher Peter Oakenfull Dr Barrie Goldsmith Central Herts Green Corridor Group [email protected]<[email protected] www.ourgreencorridor.wordpress.com February 2017 0 1 Contents 1. Introduction: Context, Objective and outline of Paper ............................................................ 4 1.1 Planning context ....................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 WHBC’s Plan in relation to these planning requirements ................................................... 5 1.3 Outline and rationale for the paper ............................................................................................ 11 2 Natural Environment and Ecology ................................................................................................ 14 2.1 Agri-eco services from bees, other pollinating insects and regulating pests ............................. 17 2.1.1 Orchards ................................................................................................................................ 18 2.1.2 Pollination questions ............................................................................................................ 19 3 Fishing .............................................................................................................................................. 19 3.1 Questions for fishing clubs and Environment Agency: ...................................................... 20 4 Water Resource management ...................................................................................................... 20 5. Flood risk management ................................................................................................................ 20 5.1 Questions concerning flood risk management .................................................................... 22 6 Water quality Regulation and Contamination Risks .................................................................. 23 6.1 Questions concerning water quality regulation ............................................................... 25 7 Soil erosion ...................................................................................................................................... 25 7.1 Questions for Middle Lea Catchment Partnership & Environment Agency .................... 27 8 Air pollution absorption ................................................................................................................... 27 8.1 Air pollution Questions for HCC ............................................................................................ 28 9 Recreation and Access .................................................................................................................. 28 9.1 Health benefits from increased recreation ........................................................................... 30 2.2 Recreation: Questions ........................................................................................................... 31 10 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 31 10.1 How long and wide should a green corridor be? .............................................................. 31 Roads as barriers to wildlife...................................................................................................... 33 10.2 Green Corridor Measures .................................................................................................... 34 10.2.1 Green Infrastructure Measures to cover demands created by developments ...... 34 10.2.2 Measures to protect green corridor against potentially address adverse impacts of developments ......................................................................................................................... 34 10.2.3 Measures to enhance the Green Corridor .................................................................. 34 10.3 Funding of Green Corridor Measures ................................................................................ 34 11 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 35 2 Annex I: Nature Conservation at Nature Reserves ....................................................................... 37 I.1 Lemsford Springs Nature Reserve ......................................................................................... 37 I.2 Stanborough Reed Marsh ....................................................................................................... 37 I.3 The Commons Local Nature Reserve ................................................................................... 38 I.4 Panshanger Park ...................................................................................................................... 38 I.5 Tewinbury Nature Reserve ..................................................................................................... 39 I.6 Former Gravel Workings of Cole Green Landfill Site. ......................................................... 39 3 Our Green Corridor: Ecosystem services Benefits 1. Introduction: Context, Objective and outline of Paper 1.1 Planning context “If we and the rest of the back boned animals were to disappear overnight, the world would get on pretty well. If the invertebrates were to disappear, the world’s ecosystem would collapse”. Sir David Attenborough. This paper first focuses on the following paras setting out elements and requirements regarding the natural environment in the National Planning policy Framework to ensure that a Local Plan is sound and justified (para 182) and delivers the environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development. It then examines how specific parts in WHBC’s draft local plan measure up to these requirements: Para 83. Green Belt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances Para 88: local planning authorities should ensure that substantial weight is given to any harm to the Green Belt. ‘Very special circumstances’ will not exist unless the potential harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations. Para 81. Local planning authorities should plan positively to enhance the beneficial use of the Green Belt, such as seeking opportunities to provide access and outdoor sport and recreation and to retain and enhance landscapes, visual amenity and biodiversity. Para 152: Local planning authorities should seek opportunities to achieve each of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, and net gains across all three. Significant adverse impacts on any of these dimensions should be avoided and, wherever possible, alternative options which reduce or eliminate such impacts should be pursued. Where adverse impacts are unavoidable, measures to mitigate the impact should be considered. Where adequate mitigation measures are not possible, compensatory measures may be appropriate. Para 1091 states that “The planning system should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by o recognising the wider benefits of ecosystem services. o Minimising impacts on biodiversity and providing net gains where possible – including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures”. Para 114. Local planning authorities should set out a strategic approach in their Local Plans, planning positively for the creation, protection, enhancement and management of networks of biodiversity and green infrastructure. Para 117: To minimise impacts on biodiversity and geodiversity, planning policies should: o plan for biodiversity at a landscape-scale across local authority boundaries; o identify and map components of the local ecological networks, including the hierarchy of international, national and locally designated sites of importance for 1 Department of Communities and Local Government (2012) National Planning Policy Framework, para 109. 4 biodiversity, wildlife corridors and stepping stones that connect them and areas identified by local partnerships for habitat restoration or creation; o promote the preservation, restoration and re-creation of priority habitats, ecological networks and the protection and recovery of priority species populations, linked to national and local targets, and identify suitable indicators for monitoring biodiversity in the plan; Para 118: When determining planning applications, local planning authorities should aim to conserve and enhance biodiversity by applying the following principles: o if significant harm resulting from a development cannot be avoided (through locating on an alternative site with less harmful impacts), adequately mitigated, or, as a last resort, compensated for, then planning permission should be refused o proposed development likely to have an adverse effect on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (either