Agenda item - Adoption of the Somerset Biodiversity Net Gain Guidance Note

To adopt the Somerset BNG Guidance Note as a material planning consideration.

Resolved that the Planning and Transport Policy Sub-Committee agreed the following:

a) To adopt the Somerset BNG Guidance Note as a material planning consideration in the preparation of pre-application advice, assessing planning applications and any other development management purposes.

b) To delegate approval of future updates to the Guidance Note as follows:

i. Minor amendments including textual and visual changes and enhancements to be delegated to the Executive Director for Climate and Place in consultation with the Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change and the Lead Member for Economic Development, Planning and Assets.

ii. Updates relating to changes in national Government legislation and guidance, or the need to reference or update reference to other local or national evidence or strategy documents, or other changes which would not necessitate further public consultation to be delegated to the Executive Director for Climate and Place in consultation with the Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change and the Lead Member for Economic Development, Planning and Assets.

iii. More significant or substantive updates beyond those listed above to be brought back to this sub-committee for approval.

c) To adopt the local BNG validation requirements as an addendum to existing adopted local validation checklists for each of the Local Planning Authority’s planning areas and functions (north, south, east, west and minerals and waste) until such time as these are updated and the requirements can be fully integrated.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer, Graeme Thompson, introduced the report which provided an update on the national mandatory requirement for developments granted planning permission to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for larger sites. The Council as Local Planning Authority must consider developer BNG proposals through the planning process. The Guidance Note sets out important information for how BNG would be implemented in Somerset and the processes involved.

The Sub-Committee discussed the report and the following points were raised:-

· Councillors thanked the officers for the member briefings which they had found very useful.

· Concern was raised on the risks on the resources of the Council and the viability.

· Councillors welcomed the guidance on this statutory requirement.

· Councillors highlighted that BNG was the beginning of a change and that it would become embedded in future processes and that it was already filtering down to Parish Councils.

· Concern was raised on sites that were biodiversity stripped.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer advised that degradation was dealt with as part of the legislation. He further advised that if there was any habitat degradation, then it would be taken into account.

· Concern was raised on seeing the guidance put into practice in the local areas and the impact on habitats due to time lag in replacing them.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer advised that BNG used habitat as a proxy for biodiversity, and as such species-specific measures such as bat or bird boxes did not contribute towards BNG, though may be required for other reasons. The categories of habitat used by the Metric were area, hedge and water and that developers could not trade between the categories, they had to be replaced ‘like for like’.

· Concern was raised on land banking.

· Councillors were full of admiration for the officers who had worked on the guidance with tight timelines and limited information.