Object

Representation ID: 21313

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country

Policy ENV1 – Nature Conservation
1b
Object: WTBBC object strongly to the exclusion of Sites of Local Importance for Nature Conservation (SLINCs) from this point. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) does not distinguish between types of designated Local Wildlife Sites and there is therefore no planning justification for this approach being taken in the BCP. Furthermore, the NPPF states that Local Plans should identify, map and safeguard components of local wildlife-rich habitats and wider ecological networks, including the hierarchy of international, national and locally designated sites of importance for biodiversity.
Object: WTBBC object strongly to the exclusion of Sites of Local Importance for Nature Conservation from this point. Defra Group guidance on the production of Local Nature Recovery Maps states that Local Wildlife Sites should be included in Core Areas, and that the focus in these areas is on improving the condition of habitats, restoring natural ecosystem function and expanding the area of sites. As per this guidance all locally designated sites of importance for biodiversity have been included in the Draft Black Country Local Nature Recovery Opportunity Map commissioned by the BCA and published as Appendix 18 in the BCP.