Policy GESP34: Rebuilding Biodiversity
Major development proposals will demonstrate at least 10% net gain in biodiversity compared with the pre-development situation by including or funding biodiversity enhancements, as appropriate. Biodiversity losses, compensation and enhancements will be calculated using the most recent nationally endorsed biodiversity metric, taking into account any adopted local authority guidance. Compensation and enhancements will be delivered in accordance with the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and Network [emerging] and secured by planning conditions and/or planning obligations.
9.3 To achieve the government’s commitment to halt the overall decline in biodiversity, the National Planning Policy Framework requires the planning system to minimise impacts on, and provide net gains for biodiversity. Development that adopts a biodiversity net gain approach seeks to make its impact on the environment positive, delivering improvements through habitat creation or enhancement after avoiding or mitigating harm as far as possible. This includes establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures.
9.4 All development has the potential to impact both positively and negatively on local biodiversity, with effects on existing features and proposals for conservation or improvement. Draft policy GESP34 seeks to ensure that development within the Greater Exeter area consistently rebuilds biodiversity by requiring net gains.
9.5 Net gains would need to be demonstrated. We suggest this should be achieved through use of a national biodiversity metric which considers habitat types as the proxy for the biodiversity in a given area, supplemented with information about condition, distinctiveness and connectivity. Local Nature Recovery Strategies and Networks are being developed by local authority ecologists and Natural England, and should be used to facilitate the delivery of net gain. The Greater Exeter Green Infrastructure Strategy, which is being developed alongside the GESP, could provide information for compensation and enhancement proposals, ecological network mapping and identify potential locations to achieve biodiversity net gain; as this work emerges our approach will be refined.
9.6 The application of draft policy GESP34 does not override national and local policies for the protection of defined protected or priority species, priority habitats and irreplaceable features. Where there is potential for a proposed development to cause harm to internationally, nationally or locally designated sites, protected or priority species, or priority habitats, applicants (alongside the local authority as competent authority in HRA matters) would still need to undertake appropriate surveys and assessment to a nationally recognised standard prior to the submission of a planning proposal (see Natural England Standing Advice).