Natural Assets Strategy April 2000 NATURAL ASSETS STRATEGY FOREWORD A healthy natural environment should be of concern to everyone, as the quality of human life depends fundamentally on the quality of the environment. As a new unitary authority, Halton Borough Council is committed to responsible and sustainable custodianship of the land that it owns or influences. It is therefore appropriate to consider the different aspects of the natural environment and to relate its importance to the people of the Borough. This strategy will provide the framework from which to develop and apply understandable and workable policies for our trees and woodlands, our nature conservation resource and our wider landscape. (Signed by Leader of Council, when strategy is approved) EXB2/13/4/8360/AC 1 Natural Assets Strategy April 2000 CONTENTS PAGE NO. 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 ORIGIN AND PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGY 3 1.2 STATUS OF THE STRATEGY 3 2.0 THE IMPORTANCE OF HALTON’S NATURAL ASSETS 2.1 SUSTAINABILITY 4 2.2 BIODIVERSITY 4 2.3 TREES AND WOODLANDS 6 2.4 LANDSCAPE 8 3.0 THE PROTECTION OF HALTON’S NATURAL ASSETS 3.1 THE MANAGEMENT OF EXISTING TREES 11 3.2 THE MANAGEMENT OF EXISTING WOODLANDS 15 3.3 PROTECTING THE BEST AREAS & SITES FOR WILDLIFE 18 3.4 DEVELOPMENT SITES 23 4.0 THE CREATION OF NATURAL ASSETS FOR THE FUTURE 4.1 THE PLANTING OF NEW INDIVIDUAL TREES 26 4.2 THE CREATION OF NEW WOODLANDS 27 4.3 THE CREATION OF OTHER HABITATS 29 4.4 THE CREATION OF NEW LANDSCAPES 30 5.0 EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 5.1 EDUCATION 32 5.2 PARTICIPATION 33 5.3 AWARENESS 33 6.0 IMPLEMENTATION AND ACTION PROGRAMMES 34 APPENDICES 1. SITES OF IMPORTANCE FOR NATURE CONSERVATION 39 2. ANCIENT WOODLANDS 40 3. RARE & PROTECTED SPECIES 40 4. ORGANISATIONS CONSULTED ABOUT THIS STRATEGY 42 5. USEFUL CONTACTS 42 REFERENCES 43 EXB2/13/4/8360/AC 2 Natural Assets Strategy April 2000 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 ORIGIN AND PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGY 1.1.1 This strategy is both a policy and an action document. It provides information on the trees and woodlands, nature conservation and the landscape of Halton and how actions will be carried out to protect, manage and enhance this resource. 1.1.2 It is as much about people as about the resources themselves. Halton’s natural assets provide an attractive and interesting setting for work and play, with known social and health benefits towards raising the quality of life for local people. 1.1.3 The strategy is guided by the messages on sustainability and biodiversity from The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and in the Government’s own Biodiversity Action Plan and Strategy for Sustainable Development. Halton’s rôle is part of a global need to protect and improve the environment whilst also finding ways to meet social and economic needs. 1.1.4 Sustainability requires effective integration of social, economic and environmental policies, a full appreciation of environmental carrying capacities (limits and impacts) and the maintenance of our total stock of natural assets. This strategy is part of Halton’s commitment to sustainable development. 1.1.5 The strategy highlights opportunities for action by a wide range of people and organisations, acting on their own or in partnership. It is intended that the strategy will provide a focus for actions with the overall aim of promoting Halton’s natural assets resource for the future. 1.1.6 The strategy is also intended to incorporate a response to the Government’s report on “Trees in Towns” [ref. 1] , a principal conclusion of which was for each local authority to:- • examine the tree stock in its towns; • discuss their findings and projections of future trends; • formulate a long-term strategy for maintenance of existing trees, their eventual replacement, and the planting of new trees within an overall landscape plan. 1.2 STATUS OF THE STRATEGY 1.2.1 The strategy is set within the context of the statutory land use policies in the existing Halton Local Plan and the proposed Halton Unitary Development Plan. It forms Supplementary Planning Guidance and will be taken into account when determining planning applications and appeals. 1.2.3 The strategy is a firm statement of the Council’s corporate policies towards its natural resources and will contribute to the Council’s Local Agenda 21 programme, Community Plan and Best Value Performance Plan. It has been prepared in accordance with Objective C5 of the Council’s Corporate Plan. EXB2/13/4/8360/AC 3 Natural Assets Strategy April 2000 2.0 THE IMPORTANCE OF HALTON’S NATURAL ASSETS 2.1 SUSTAINABILITY POLICY ONE The Council will put sustainability principles into practice, by identifying all its natural assets, providing for and encouraging their protection, management, monitoring and where possible, enhancement. 2.1.1 Sustainability is generally described as: "Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs". The UK Strategy for Sustainable Development [ref. 2] identifies the following key issues linking sustainability and the natural environment: • The conservation and enhancement of biodiversity, i.e. the natural habitats and species supported within them. • Increasing public awareness of, and involvement in, conservation related sustainable activities. • Ensuring that nature conservation objectives are given full weight in all other policy areas. 2.1.2 The policies in this Natural Assets strategy can contribute to sustainable development by: • creating new woodlands, • increasing wildlife habitats, • safeguarding biodiversity (see next section) including habitats and species at risk, • providing free opportunities for recreation, and • enhancing the quality of life generally in an area, making it more attractive (including as an area for inward investment). 2.1.3 For development to be sustainable it must maintain, and if possible enhance, biodiversity at all scales from the global to the local. The planning system has a key role in safeguarding designated sites, protecting and enhancing habitats and wildlife corridors in Halton. Sustainability Indicators 2.1.4 Government Office North West (GONW) has produced a draft Action Plan [ref. 3] which proposes targets and measures of success which will deliver greater sustainability in the region. Halton can contribute with more locally specific targets, some of which will be carried out under the action programme of this strategy. Action 1 The Council will adopt key sustainable indicators appropriate to Halton’s natural assets using national and regional guidance. 2.2 BIODIVERSITY POLICY TWO The Council recognises the need to conserve and enhance biological diversity within Halton and will contribute where possible to the conservation of national and global biodiversity, and will encourage others to do likewise. 2.2.1 Biodiversity is the variety of life we see around us [ref. 4] . It includes every sort of animal, plant, fungus and microscopic life. It embraces the great variety of species, the genes those species carry and the places where those species live. There are three distinct levels of biodiversity: EXB2/13/4/8360/AC 4 Natural Assets Strategy April 2000 • diversity between and within ecosystems and habitats, • diversity of species, and • genetic variation within individual species. 2.2.2 Biodiversity is vital to the quality of life , from the simple pleasure of bird song to life- saving cancer drugs from yew trees. It is a life support system , which provides for all our needs whether practical or spiritual and one which must be safeguarded, not only for now but for future generations. We have, however, lost over 100 species in the UK this century. Many natural habitats have also suffered losses, for instance 95% of our wildflower meadows have disappeared in the last 50 years. 2.2.3 The overall goal of the UK's Biodiversity Action Plan [ref. 5] is “to conserve and enhance biological diversity within the UK and to contribute to the conservation of global diversity through all appropriate mechanisms”. Its objectives include: • increasing public awareness and involvement in the conservation of biodiversity, • the conservation and where practical the enhancement of: • the overall populations and natural ranges of native species and the quality and range of wildlife habitats and ecosystems, • internationally important and threatened species, habitats and ecosystems. 2.2.4 The maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity is, therefore, vital if we are to achieve the overall aim of sustainable development ; namely that the present and future generations can benefit from the environmental quality and economic benefits. This is not simply a matter of protecting the best of what we have but it also involves enhancing its status. To play its full role in the conservation of biodiversity it is important that land use planning, as a whole, does not result in a net loss in either the quantity or quality of biodiversity in the North West and instead, wherever possible, contributes positively to its enhancement. 2.2.5 To secure biodiversity, it is necessary to understand natural systems in a wider sense. For example, landscape features, wildlife corridors and networks in Halton are important to maintain the current range and diversity of flora and fauna. 2.2.6 Nature conservation in Halton is not just about providing for wildlife. It is, just as importantly, about what wildlife can do for people. People need wildlife, not just in nature reserves but as an accessible part of our everyday lives. As the countryside has changed, the estuary and rivers, remnant hedges, woodlands, heathland, parks, disused railway lines, canals, churchyards and ponds have all assumed an increasing value for wildlife. All of these habitats are found in Halton. 2.2.7 Wildlife provides joy, pleasure and inspiration.