Day 1 Seminar_Environment Workshop presentation_FINAL_web.pptx

Nature and Planning What's Next?

1. PAS at 20 - Navigating the Future of Planning Services Nature and Planning, What’s Next? 27 February 2025

2. Overview Today’s workshop focus - Setting the context for environmental planning Deep dive into the Development and Nature Recovery Working Paper Wider discussion on environmental policy changes and implications Theme - How can we at PAS help support officers and councillors?

3. Interaction Workshop session Bringing members along: Top 3 ways to engage Top 3 ways to alienate PHOTO CREDIT: R Murtagh TVNP Conference 2019

4. How can we help you? PAS programmes Development management Local plans BNG and nutrient neutrality Protected Sites Strategies and nature recovery (Maybe EORs) Link between central and local government Helping you and your teams to navigate through the change in policy Offering support for Councillors What do you need and what do your Councillors need?

5. Lots of change ! Policy evolution Devolution BNG has landed Final LNRS on way Land Use Framework consultation Lots of 'noise' on this change Sitting alongside all the other change ‘Local authorities in the middle’ Nature and Planning Context

6. Deep dive – planning reform Development and Nature Recovery policy paper New win-win for development and nature Framework for more strategic approaches, rather than project-specific obligations Moving responsibility to the state, rather than developers Changes implemented in PIB Modifications to Habs Regs and W&CA Timing of first 'delivery plans' in line with Royal Assent

7. Delivery Bodies & Nature Restoration Fund Suitable public delivery body appointed Scope - NN, protected species, recreational disturbance, air quality for planning applications, including NSIPs Approach modular – ‘turning’ on issue, delivery plan prepared Issue based, rather than place based Delivery plan is signed off by SoS and monitored Approach to pool individual contributions centrally in ‘nature restoration fund’ Delivery bodies powers for compulsory purchase and planning conditions

8. One part of the whole picture Root causes addressed through Environment Improvement Plan review (separate to the delivery plans) Not expected to change mandatory BNG Expected to still need HRA at planning application stage, but if impacts covered by delivery plan, no further action Not mandatory so bespoke approaches still possible No duplication of Diffuse Water Pollution Plans, Protected Site Strategies, LNRS Different spatial scales for delivery of each strategy and different lead organisations. Future system supported by EOR

9. Discussion DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL PLAN How will this help with the status quo for decision making? Could this support delivery of your local plan? Help deliver housing targets? Help support evidence base? Will this need less local resource? Does this help strategic planning for the environment? Will this support developers and housing delivery? What will your communities and Councillors think? Can you foresee any complications?

10. How do we best frame this to bring councillors along? Draft framework for webinar 1. Context - how does nature fit with: Growth and jobs Health Communities Climate emergency/net zero Council business plan, corporate strategy, environment strategy 2. Into the detail, e.g. BNG What are the challenges and opportunities? What can members do? “ This is what I can do as portfolio holder… ” 3. Write down an action to take away. Would you like to join a network? Series of events for an engaged set of members Addressing the nature emergency webinar for councillors, 2 April

11. Key takeaways Bringing members along: Top 3 ways to engage Top 3 ways to alienate What will you take away from this session? What is the one key thing to implement when you get back?

12. SPARE SLIDES FOLLOW

13. What will this mean for DM? Avoiding assessing impacts at site level – more streamlined, like GC newts No local payments – all into central pot Less local expertise needed? Less resource needed? Quicker decisions Avoid legal challenges for individual planning decisions But - ‘It may be necessary for a development to be subject to environmental assessment for other impacts not covered by a Delivery Plan’ Will this be exceptional in your area? Approach assumes some planning conditions apply eg water efficiency. Will this help secure conditions? What if developers don’t meet the conditions set? What if they want to do bespoke mitigation?