This report recommends that a draft Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) be published for public consultation.

The Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report on the Council’s draft Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), which would be considered by Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport Committee on 16 March 2020, for endorsement.  The report set out a draft Biodiversity Action Plan which provided a framework for actions that the Council would be taking to conserve biodiversity across the range of its functions.  Reading’s existing BAP covered the period from 2005-2015 and had expired, therefore a new version was needed to set out the actions needed as part of the response to the climate emergency.  The following documents were appended to the report:

Appendix 1 – Equality Impact Assessment Scoping

Appendix 2 – Draft Biodiversity Action Plan

The report recommended that the draft BAP, which was a more succinct and user-friendly document than the 2005-2015 version, be approved for public consultation.  The new document was intended to be easier to use, but also easier to keep under review over the coming years.

The report explained that the BAP was organised around the following themes, each of which contained a set of actions.  In some cases, these actions would require more detailed work to be undertaken, such as a more detailed action plan.

·           Legislation – to ensure the Council’s plans and actions complied with most up-to-date legislation.

·           Designated sites – actions around management, monitoring and selection of important wildlife sites.

·           Planning and building control – ensuring that there was no net loss and where achievable a net gain of biodiversity on development sites, which was likely to mean identifying priorities for a Biodiversity Supplementary Planning Document.

·           Woodlands, trees and hedgerows – management actions for woodlands, consideration of actions for identification of new woodlands and reviewing whether all ancient woodlands had been identified.

·           Grasslands and road verges – actions around management of these features, including opportunities for wildflowers and pollinating species.

·           The two rivers, their floodplains and other watercourses – ensuring that the wildlife significance of the watercourses and surrounds was maintained and enhanced, including opportunities for habitat creation.

·           Management of Council projects and the sale of land – actions could ensure that biodiversity was considered as a fundamental part of Council projects and taken into account when disposing of land.

·           Education, access to nature, public engagement and volunteering – a variety of actions around education at all ages, working with schools and the University, as well as volunteering and Council communications to the public about biodiversity.

·           Ecological records – actions to continue and improve the maintenance of ecological records.

·           Connectivity – actions to improve the connection of habitats in Reading to allow for movement of biodiversity.

·           Coordinated approach across council departments and within policy documents – noting the need to co-ordinate efforts with a range of Council and partner strategies.

·           Global biodiversity – actions the Council and partners could make to avoid contributing to global biodiversity loss, for instance in terms of procurement.

·           Ongoing review – an action for an annual review.

The report added that the actions were accompanied by proposals for how and when they would be achieved, and it would be important to keep these actions under review on a regular basis over the life of the BAP.  To achieve this, in some places the BAP avoided significant levels of detail and focused on the strategic objectives, which meant it would be easier to review and update in a streamlined manner.

Resolved:    

(1)     That the draft Strategy be endorsed for approval by Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport Committee on 16 March 2020;

(2)     That the Deputy Director of Planning, Transport and Regulatory Services be authorised to make any changes necessary as a result of consultation and approve the final Biodiversity Action Plan, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport.