A councillor has admitted there is “an awful lot to do” to safeguard nature and biodiversity on new developments across Lichfield and Burntwood.
It comes after Lichfield District Council’s cabinet backed plans to make a Nature Recovery Declaration.
The move will see the local authority obligated to take “targeted actions which make a real difference to nature locally”.
Cllr Angela Lax, cabinet member for ecology and climate change, told a meeting of the cabinet group that it was a balancing act between ensuring Government housebuilding targets are met and ensuring biodiversity is protected and enhanced.
“We must factor in our legal requirements under the Environment Act ensuring that any new development has a net biodiversity gain of 20%.
“The aim is that you minimise losing any biodiversity on the development and require developers to remediate – the last ditch line if they can’t because areas have been identified for development in the Local Plan, then you’ve got to have carbon offset elsewhere in the district.
“We will endeavour to push the carbon reduction issues, the biodiversity as much as we can, but we have to stay in the parameters of our legal obligation otherwise we’ll be open to challenge from developers.
“There is an awful lot to do. The aim is to ensure we have green spaces on developments.”
Cllr Angela Lax, Lichfield District Council
Cllr Andy Smith, cabinet member for leisure, said he supported the declaration but wanted to see detail about what steps would be taken.
“I like the fact we’re doing it with partners who are passionate about this.
“But the important thing is we actually make sure there’s a plan of action so we actually do something.”
Cllr Andy Smith, Lichfield District Council
But Cllr Lax said the issue was a complex one and would see a number of factors at play.
“There’s not an all embracing action plan. If we go at everything all at once I’d worry about when we’re going to achieve it.
“It’s taking everything and deciding when we’re going to do it and how we’re going to do it effectively.
“Part of ecology is the nature cycle. So for example, verge-mowing is a hot topic, but that will require getting operations involved with our ecology expert to be able to say when is the best time to do it. Different habitats require different approaches.
“There’s things we can do straight away, such as the request that all of our papers and policies have an assessment to address the impact on ecology and climate change which we haven’t had previously.”
Cllr Angela Lax, Lichfield District Council
