Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council Hinckley and Bosworth Green Infrastructure Strategy x Final report Prepared by LUC July 2020 Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council Hinckley and Bosworth Green Infrastructure Strategy Version Status Prepared Checked Approved Date 1. Internal draft L. Wallwork D. Manson 20.11.2019 J. Hopkins 2. Draft report L. Wallwork D. Manson S. Young 12.03.2020 D. Manson 3. Final report L. Wallwork D. Manson S. Young 03.07.2020 D. Manson Bristol Land Use Consultants Ltd Landscape Design Edinburgh Registered in England Strategic Planning & Assessment Glasgow Registered number 2549296 Development Planning Lancaster Registered office: Urban Design & Masterplanning London 250 Waterloo Road Environmental Impact Assessment Manchester London SE1 8RD Landscape Planning & Assessment Landscape Management landuse.co.uk 100% recycled paper Ecology Historic Environment GIS & Visualisation Contents Hinckley and Bosworth July 2020 Contents Theme 3: Active Travel 51 Chapter 1 Theme 4: Open Space, Play and Recreation 56 Executive Summary 1 Theme 5: Carbon Sequestration 64 What is Green Infrastructure? 1 Theme 6: Water Resources 69 What is the purpose of this Strategy? 1 What are the key challenges for Hinckley and Bosworth? 2 Chapter 6 What are the key opportunities for Hinckley and Strengthening the Green Infrastructure Bosworth? 3 Network 74 How will the GI network be delivered? 4 Identifying Opportunities for Action 74 Chapter 2 Overview of Priority Opportunities 75 Overview of 'Big Picture' Opportunities 82 Introduction 6 Priority Opportunities: In Detail 85 What is the purpose of the Strategy? 6 Embedding GI into the Hinkley and Bosworth What does the Strategy cover? 7 Development Framework 122 What is Green Infrastructure? 7 Why is Green Infrastructure important for Hinckley and Appendix A Bosworth? 8 Summary of Consultees and Response What are the Guiding Principles for GI provision in Types Hinckley and Bosworth? 9 How was the Strategy prepared? 11 Appendix B Countryside and Environmental Chapter 3 Stewardship Arrangements in Hinckley Policy Context 13 and Bosworth National 13 Regional and County-wide 14 Other Relevant Guidance and Strategies 19 Chapter 4 Key Environmental and Socio- Economic Influences 20 Climate Change Adaptation 20 Climate Change Mitigation 22 Providing for Diverse Needs in Hinckley and Bosworth 23 Chapter 5 Identifying GI Issues and Opportunities 29 Theme 1: Landscape, Townscape and Historic Environment 32 Theme 2: Biodiversity 42 LUC I i Chapter 1 - Executive Summary Hinckley and Bosworth July 2020 Chapter 1 Executive Summary Green infrastructure (or GI) is recognised as a cornerstone of sustainable development and communities. It is a ‘must have’, due to the many economic, social and environmental benefits it offers. It is essential to the quality of life of residents, business and nature, contributing towards creating places where people and the environment can thrive. What is Green Infrastructure? GI is the term used to describe the network of natural and semi-natural spaces and corridors in a given area. These include open spaces such as parks and gardens, but also allotments, woodlands, fields, hedges, lakes, ponds, playing fields, coastal habitats, footpaths, cycle routes and water courses. Crucially, GI provision is not limited to traditional green spaces such as parks and other open spaces, but can involve various interventions to thread nature into streetscapes, or provide corridors of connectivity between GI ‘assets’. Above all, GI is defined by its multifunctionality. A single GI asset can deliver a range of benefits to people (both physical and mental well-being), as well as biodiversity and landscape. GI can help to create high quality, attractive and functional places that will provide a setting for day- to-day living. It can also address the negative impact of habitat loss and fragmentation by promoting habitat creation, enhancement and connectivity (on site as part of development or through biodiversity off-setting), and plays an important role in reducing local temperatures, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and alleviating flood risk and soil erosion. What is the purpose of this Strategy? As a largely rural Borough, Hinckley & Bosworth is rich in GI assets of various kinds, and has a valued landscape that gives the Borough its identity and provides the context for flagship heritage assets such as Bosworth Battlefield and the Ashby Canal. Against a backdrop of future growth and development within the Borough, a strategic framework is needed to ensure that the existing GI network is protected, strengthened and expanded to deal with future challenges. LUC I 1 Chapter 1 Executive Summary Hinckley and Bosworth July 2020 These include challenges associated not only with growth but Borough faces the following challenges which an improved GI also climate change and the need to provide a healthy and network could help to address: attractive environment for local residents and workers. ◼ Erosion of the character of the agricultural landscape, in This strategy has three key aims: part through the loss and weakening of hedgerow networks. ◼ to review the extent to which GI assets (both ‘green’ and ‘blue’) are functioning well; ◼ Sparse woodland cover, particularly in the south and west of the Borough. ◼ to identify where there are existing and anticipated future gaps in GI provision; and, ◼ Need for further 'greening' of the townscape of the Hinckley/Barwell/Earl Shilton built up area, and key ◼ to set out what actions and interventions could enhance 'gateways' into Hinckley. the current provision. ◼ Few opportunities for access to heritage assets by active The Strategy is designed to reflect the changed policy travel (ie by walking and cycling). landscape since the previous GI Strategy was prepared in 2008. In particular, this includes an increased emphasis on the ◼ Need to enhance the role of the Ashby Canal as a importance of GI in responding to concerns over health, landscape feature. wellbeing and climate change resilience. Theme 2: Biodiversity It is designed to act as a catalyst for a mosaic of diverse interventions, delivered by a wide range of partners, including Key biodiversity sites within the Borough include Burbage amongst others: the Borough Council, government agencies, Common and Woods in the south, as well as a number of local business, developers and local community groups. important sites in the northeast such as Groby Pool and Woods, and Thornton Reservoir. The forested areas around What are the key challenges for Hinckley the National Forest also play an important role in providing valuable habitats. All of these areas support a number of and Bosworth? Priority Species, however the Borough faces the following There are a number of over-arching issues which biodiversity challenges which an improved GI network could underline the need for a robust GI network in Hinckley & help to address: Bosworth. The Climate Emergency, declared by the Borough ◼ Council in July 2019, means the GI network must play a Scarcity of biodiversity-rich assets in the Borough, and pivotal role in both mitigating against climate change and uncertainty over their condition. boosting resilience to its impacts. Significant upcoming ◼ Intensive agriculture activities, particularly in the Western growth, particularly in the south of the Borough, and socio- GI Zone, which are contributing to biodiversity loss and demographic changes (detailed in Chapter 4) will also place the fragmentation of habitats. additional pressures on the GI network. ◼ Recreational pressure threatening key vulnerable In order to 'set the scene' for identifying suitable habitats. interventions, Chapter 5 of this Strategy outlines the key ◼ issues and opportunities for GI in the Borough under six GI Private gardens not fulfilling their potential in supporting 'themes', as follows: biodiversity goals. Theme 1: Landscape, Townscape and Historic Theme 3: Active Travel Environment The extensive network of Public Rights of Way (PROW) The 'unspoilt' and largely agricultural landscape in in Hinckley & Bosworth provide an important resource for Hinckley & Bosworth is highly valued by local residents, and recreational walking through the Borough's valued afforestation initiatives within the northeast of the Borough - as landscapes. Two National Cycle Network (NCN) routes also part of the National Forest - have helped to regenerate the cross the Borough, as well as various long distance walking formerly industrial landscape, providing a valued community routes. However, the Borough faces the following challenges asset. The Borough also benefits from a number of high to active travel which an improved GI network could help to quality country parks and the landscape provides the setting address: for the 'flagship' medieval heritage asset of the Bosworth ◼ Significant car dependence, including very short Battlefield, drawing visitors from far and wide. However, the journeys which could be completed by walking or cycling. LUC I 2 Chapter 1 Executive Summary Hinckley and Bosworth July 2020 ◼ Local disused railways which are under-used as active challenges, which an improved GI network could help to travel assets. address: ◼ Weak 'gateways' on the urban edge to the wider ◼ Intensive agricultural management causing poor water countryside that do not encourage recreational walking quality along watercourses. by local residents. ◼ Increase in impermeable surfaces contributing to overall ◼ Weak connectivity between key rural centres