Biodiversity Accounting Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) consultation

Overview

A new law will soon require that relevant planning applications consider biodiversity needs. They will need to include information about how the development will maintain and increase on-site biodiversity.

Once the law is passed, there is a 2-year period before all relevant planning applications will need to comply.

Along with other measures, we have drafted a ‘Biodiversity Accounting Supplementary Planning Document’. We are introducing the document in Buckinghamshire because we want to start applying this change ahead of the legal requirement.

We invite you to take part in our public consultation.

Biodiversity accounting

Biodiversity describes the variety of life on Earth that humans rely on to survive. We need a natural world that is complex, resilient, thriving and full of variety and nature needs to be able to cope with change.

Different animals and plants in a habitat help to make that place stable and sustainable. Accounting refers to measuring and improving the biodiversity on development sites.

About the Biodiversity Accounting Supplementary Planning Document

The document sets out:

• ‘net gain’ requirements in line with the emerging Environment Act
• how to measure existing biodiversity and achieve the required net gain using a biodiversity accounting tool
• how to avoid biodiversity loss, increase on-site biodiversity and compensate for essential actions affecting biodiversity using a ‘mitigation hierarchy’
• details of biodiversity accounting financial contributions

The document provides guidance for implementing biodiversity policies in the:

• Chiltern Core Strategy
• South Bucks Core Strategy
• Wycombe Delivery and Site Allocations Plan
• Wycombe Local Plan
• Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan (once adopted)

The draft Biodiversity Accounting Supplementary Planning Document, other consultation documents and our consultation survey are available on our planning consultation page.

How to take part in the consultation

Please submit your views to us in one of the following ways:

• visit our planning consultation page to view the documents and complete the online consultation survey
• email us on planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
• write to us at Buckinghamshire Council, Planning Policy, Biodiversity Accounting SPD Consultation, King George V House, King George V Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire. HP6 5AW

If you need the consultation survey in another format, please email us on planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or phone us on 0300 131 6000.

What happens next

We will consider the responses we receive and will review the content of the Supplementary Planning Document.

Following any amendments, we will put forward the final draft for adoption as an approved Supplementary Planning Document.

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