Issue - meetings

BCP Council has a statutory duty to conserve and enhance biodiversity and has committed, in its Shared Vision 2024 – 2028, to create ‘vibrant places where people and nature flourish’.

Three council-owned sites have been identified where different land management approaches would increase the diversity of wildlife, create nature corridors and improve residents’ health and wellbeing by making natural areas more accessible to explore and enjoy. These are Erlin Farm, Millhams Mead and Solent Meads.

To avoid creating new pressure on the budget at a time of financial challenge across the council, this paper sets out a sustainable funding proposal and options for a mechanism to deliver this.

A previous Cabinet paper approved the principle of creating a mechanism to enable BCP Council to sell Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units from council-owned land, either in-house or via an arms-length organisation. This paper focuses on the funding mechanism and outlines options with a recommended approach.

Since BNG became law in February 2024, approximately £187k worth of funding for nature (in the form of BNG unit purchases) has gone to other areas of England from development activity which has taken place in BCP Council’s Local Planning Authority (LPA) area. This means areas outside BCP are benefiting from improved biodiversity and the associated improved health and wellbeing impacts. The recommendations in this paper would establish a mechanism to ensure the benefits of the BNG planning policy would remain within Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Where the current use of a site is proposed to change, a period of public and stakeholder engagement will be undertaken to ensure the best approach for nature and residents. This will come forward in a future report for a further decision.

None of the changes will involve building on these sites, this would fundamentally contradict the objective of creating more habitat and increasing biodiversity.

[PLEASE NOTE: Should Cabinet wish to discuss the detail of the confidential appendix at Appendix 7 the meeting will be required to move into Confidential (Exempt) Session].

RESOLVED that Cabinet: -

(a)           noted the previous Cabinet decision to sell BNG units in principle and approves an in-house mechanism for selling BNG units, while continuing to monitor the BNG market and explore alternative approaches;

(b)           approves the improvement of habitats at up to three Council-owned sites (Erlin Farm / Millhams Mead / Solent Meads outside the golf course area) for future supply of BNG units; and

(c)           looks to improve nature as part of the re-tendering of golf and other leisure use for the existing Solent Meads golf course area.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Climate Response, Environment and Energy

Reason

Improving biodiversity across BCP benefits nature which in turn improves residents’ health and wellbeing.

Creating a sustainable funding mechanism for this work avoids additional pressure on BCP Council budgets.

BCP residents will benefit from the requirement for developers to leave habitats for wildlife in a measurably better state than they were before development.

The longer BCP remains without a supply of BNG units, the greater the risk to its green infrastructure. This could lead to environmental degradation and the loss of investment to areas outside BCP, missing the opportunity to deliver high quality nature for local communities.

Managing the delivery of BNG units in-house on at least one council-owned site offers the fastest and most practical route to improving biodiversity in the conurbation. It also enables the council to test the BNG sale process and market with minimal investment and risk. This approach allows BCP Council to learn, address uncertainties, observe how the emerging market evolves, and assess the ease of selling units.

Delegating authority to officers to select the initial site/s provides the necessary time and mandate to carry out detailed modelling, planning, costing, and stakeholder engagement ensuring informed decisions about which sites to prioritise.

The Portfolio Holder for Climate Response, Environment and Energy presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'F' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that BCP Council had a statutory duty to conserve and enhance biodiversity and has committed, in its Shared Vision 2024 – 2028, to create ‘vibrant places where people and nature flourish’.

Cabinet was informed that three council-owned sites had been identified where different land management approaches would increase the diversity of wildlife, create nature corridors and improve residents’ health and wellbeing by making natural areas more accessible to explore and enjoy.

Cabinet was advised that these sites were Erlin Farm, Millhams Mead and Solent Meads.

Further to this Cabinet was advised that to avoid creating new pressure on the budget at a time of financial challenge across the council, this paper set out a sustainable funding proposal and options for a mechanism to deliver this.

Cabinet was informed that a previous Cabinet paper had approved the principle of creating a mechanism to enable BCP Council to sell Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units from council-owned land, either in-house or via an arms-length organisation, and that this paper focused on the funding mechanism and outlined options with a recommended approach.

Cabinet was advised that since BNG became law in February 2024, approximately £187k worth of funding for nature (in the form of BNG unit purchases) had gone to other areas of England from development activity which had taken place in BCP Council’s Local Planning Authority (LPA) area.

In relation to this Cabinet was informed that this meant that areas outside BCP are benefiting from improved biodiversity and the associated improved health and wellbeing impacts, and that the recommendations in this paper would establish a mechanism to ensure the benefits of the BNG planning policy would remain within Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Cabinet was advised that where the current use of a site is proposed to change, a period of public and stakeholder engagement will be undertaken to ensure the best approach for nature and residents, and that this will come forward in a future report for a further decision.

Further to this Cabinet was advised that none of the changes would involve building on these sites, and that this would fundamentally contradict the objective of creating more habitat and increasing biodiversity.

Councillor Bernadette Nanovo addressed Cabinet on behalf of herself and Councillor Judy Richrdson as Ward Councillors for East Southbourne and Tuckton highlighting that Solent Meads was based within the Ward. Councillor Nanovo advised that once it became apparent that the golf course was at risk there had been an overwhelming response from residents highlighting the popularity and importance of the golf provision and stressing that this provision should continue. Further to this Councillor Nanovo advised that Solent Meads should be tendered as a golf facility and that the tender should include a suitably long lease to enable investment in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 100