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ID sylw: 108864

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

Warwickshire County Council supports the Vision, overarching principles and strategic objectives behind the emerging South Warwickshire Local Plan but has made some suggestions for changes to wording below..

- A biodiverse and environmentally resilient South Warwickshire

Add reference to supporting nature’s recovery to this principle.

Warwickshire County Council would recommend reference to the Local Nature Recovery Strategy. This will then demonstrate that the plan has ‘regard’ to the Warwickshire LNRS as required by statute. See suggested amendment above.

Strategic Objectives

5. Making effective use of land and natural resources

May wish to change to “Efficient use of water resources whilst enhancing water quality and flood management”.

Reason: This would lead towards nature based solutions to impacts coupled with investment into natural capital and associated nature markets.

8. Protecting and enhancing our heritage and cultural assets

Change to “Protect, enhance and understand the wealth of heritage and cultural assets in South Warwickshire, and where possible enhance access and understanding of these asset”.

Reason: It is not always possible to protect and enhance heritage and cultural assets but to understand their significance in these areas so that their importance can be recorded for future generations to enjoy.

12. Protecting and enhancing our environmental assets. - could be reflective of the Local Authorities' NERC Biodiversity Duty and understanding of the Warwickshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy. The NERC Act uses the words "Conserve and Enhance". The use of 'conserve' is to infer 'protect' where able and to 'look after' those habitats and species that cannot be protected through offsetting losses; so much so as the NERC Act clarifying what it means by 'conservation': (a)conserving, restoring or otherwise enhancing a population of a particular species, and (b)conserving, restoring or otherwise enhancing a particular type of habitat.

Recommendation: That the Strategic Objective reflects the NERC ACT "Conserving, restoring or otherwise enhancing our environmental assets (related to overarching principle -A biodiverse and environmentally resilient South Warwickshire)

Additional bullet:
May wish to include a bullet relating to measuring carbon impacts and the need to compensate for any residual impacts.