Comment

Representation ID: 16322

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: Natural England

WAH235, WAH237, WAH248, WAH253, plus MIN3: These site allocations are in close proximity to
Shire Oak Local Nature Reserve (LNR) (GB1)

Natural England is concerned about the added recreational pressure upon the biodiversity value of Shire Oak LNR that these additional housing allocations will bring without additional new biodiversity rich green space being created in this area that can support a greater carrying capacity of people. Natural England also encourages the Black Country Local Planning Authority’s via their Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) to actively develop cross border cooperation between other Local Planning Authorities (LPA) (for example Lichfield District Council) in coordinating land development projects that impact on local biodiversity sites to ensure that local biodiversity corridors are maintained and link up other local important sites for nature conservation, e.g. Clayhanger Common. An example of this approach relates to land that envelopes WAH235, WAH237 but is in fact in both Lichfield and Walsall. This land area has been identified though Natural Capital Mapping (reference Midlands Heathland Heartland as a bottle-neck constraining existing local nature recovery networks to flow, connect and
link across the wider geographical area. Purple Horizons Nature Recovery Project and Midlands Heathland Heartland (see Annex 1 for further information) has identified significant investment opportunities that will ensure that species and habitats can continue to move freely.