Testun llawn:
Dear Sir/Madam,
Planning consultation: Stoneleigh & Ashow Neighbourhood Area Designation
Thank you for your consultation on the above dated 03 May 2013 which was received by Natural England on the same date.
Natural England is a non-departmental public body. Our statutory purpose is to ensure that the natural environment is conserved, enhanced, and managed for the benefit of present and future generations, thereby contributing to sustainable development.
Natural England is a statutory consultee in neighbourhood planning and must be consulted on draft neighbourhood development plans by the Parish/Town Councils or Neighbourhood Forums where they consider our interests would be affected by the proposals made. The following is offered as advice to assist Stoneleigh & Ashow Parish Council.
Statutory nature conservation sites
There are no internationally or nationally designated nature conservation sites within the immediate proximity of Stoneleigh & Ashow parish. The nearest Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are Waverley Wood Farm, Ryton Wood and Brandon Wood which are outside the parish boundaries.
Local Wildlife sites
There are a number of Local Wildlife Sites within Stoneleigh & Ashow Parish these are:
Stoneleigh
River Sowe & Finham Brook
Wainbody Wood & Stivichall Common Kenilworth Road Spinney (also Local Nature Reserve)
Stoneleigh Park
Decoy Spinney & Cotton Mill Spinney
Ticknell Spinney
Gospel Oak Wood
Hares Parlour & Brick Kiln Spinney
Stareton
Stoneleigh Grange Hedge & Black Spinney
The Rough
Ashow
Benicote Wood
The Grove
River Avon
Thickthorn Wood
Glasshouse Wood
Further information on these sites can be obtained at the Local environmental record centres which hold a range of information on the natural environment, and we recommend contacting your local office. A list of local records centre is available at: http://www.nbn-nfbr.org.uk/nfbr.php
Protected species
You should consider whether your plan has any impacts on legally protected species. To help you do this, Natural England has produced standing advice to help understand the impact of particular developments on protected or Biodiversity Action Plan species should they be identified as an issue. The standing advice also sets out when, following receipt of survey information, you should undertake further consultation with Natural England. Natural England Standing Advice
National Character Areas (NCAs)
We suggest that you could make reference to the National Character Areas (NCAs) which divide England into 159 distinct natural areas. Each is defined by a unique combination of landscape, biodiversity, geodiversity and cultural and economic activity. Their boundaries follow natural lines in the landscape rather than administrative boundaries, making them a good decision making framework for the natural environment. The parish of Stoneleigh & Ashow falls within NCA97: Arden, and there is a full profile of this area on our website:
http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/1819400?category=587130
Opportunities for enhancing the natural environment
Neighbourhood plans may provide opportunities to enhance the character and local distinctiveness of the surrounding natural and built environment; use natural resources more sustainably; and bring benefits for the local community, for example through green space provision and access to and contact with nature. Opportunities to incorporate features into new build or retro fitted buildings which are beneficial to wildlife, such as the incorporation of roosting opportunities for bats or the installation of bird nest boxes should also be considered as part of any new development proposal.
General Information
Natural England, together with the Environment Agency, English Heritage and Forestry Commission has published joint advice on neighbourhood planning which sets out sources of environmental information and ideas on incorporating the environment into plans. This is available at: http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/PDF/GEHO0212BWAZ-E-E.pdf
Further guidance on useful sources of information is provided as an annex to this letter.
We would be happy to comment further should the need arise but if in the meantime you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us.
For any queries relating to the specific advice in this letter only please contact Roslyn Deeming on 0300 060 1524. For any new consultations, or to provide further information on this consultation please send your correspondences to consultations@naturalengland.org.uk.
We really value your feedback to help us improve the service we offer. We have attached a feedback form to this letter and welcome any comments you might have about our service.
Yours sincerely,
Roslyn Deeming
Adviser
Land Use Operations
Tel: 0300 060 1524
Email: roslyn.deeming@naturalengland.org.uk
Annex 1 - Information sources
The following is offered as general advice which may be of use in your deliberations.
Information held by your local authority and used in the preparation of Local Plans is often the starting point for neighbourhood plans or orders (depending on how relevant and up to date the information is). Your local authority will be able to advise you further on this.
Other useful information may be available from local environmental records centres, the Historic Environment Record Centres or local environmental and amenity groups. You can also access a range of information and maps about the local environment on the following websites - see:
What's in your backyard?: Provides access to environmental data at a local level
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/37793.aspx
Your Right to Know: Public Registers of environmental permits and licences
www2.environment-agency.gov.uk/epr/
Natural England: Publications, maps and data on the natural environment
www.naturalengland.org.uk/publications/default.aspx
Nature on the map: Maps about nature, including the location of designated sites
www.natureonthemap.naturalengland.org.uk
Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside: Interactive map of environmental information
http://magic.defra.gov.uk/
The Land Information Search: Map based tool on land designations or features
www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-6dfkmn
English Heritage: Finding and managing your local historic environment
http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/, www.heritagegateway.org.uk and www.helm.org.uk/
Data on the historic environment (Heritage Counts, Heritage at Risk):
http://hc.english-heritage.org.uk/ & http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/heritage-at-risk/
Guidance on heritage and community-led planning: www.helm.org.uk/communityplanning