Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area
On 9 March 2005 the Government designated areas of heathland within the Thames Basin as the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area under the Conservation (Natural Habitats & c) Regulations 1994 (Habitats Regulations), in compliance with the European Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds 79/409/EEC (Birds Directive) and the Directive on the Conservation of natural habitats and species 92/43/EEC (Habitats Directive). It has been identified as an internationally important habitat for three rare species of ground nesting birds - the Dartford Warbler, Nightjar and Woodlark - and covers areas of heathland across 11 local authority areas in Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. Within Elmbridge the area covers Chatley Heath, part of the Ockham and Wisley Commons Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This heathland lies to the south of the Borough, in an area located between the M25, the A3 and the Borough boundary.
How does the Thames Basin Heaths SPA affect Elmbridge?
Natural England, who is the Government's adviser on issues concerning England's natural environment, consider that the intensification of residential development up to a distance of 5km away from the Special Protection Area (SPA) would result in a range of pressures with adverse effects on the protected habitat. As a consequence, within 400m (linear) of the SPA it is not considered possible to avoid or mitigate the impacts of new development, and as such there will be a presumption against new housing development within this zone. Between 400m to 5km (linear) of the SPA, mitigation must accompany new residential development in the form of the provision of Suitable Accessible Natural Greenspace (SANG) to attract informal recreation users, such as walkers and dog walkers, away from the SPA. This can be in the form of new open space, or the improvement of existing open space to increase its capacity for informal recreation to a minimum standard of 8 hectares per 1,000 population. This is combined with access management and monitoring measures to manage recreational pressure on the SPA itself. Without mitigation, planning applications for new housing development between 400m and 5km of the SPA would be refused.
A Joint Strategic Partnership Board (JSPB) was set up to take forward, agree and deliver the mitigation and avoidance measures identified. The board comprises representatives of the affected local authorities, Government Office for the South East, South East England Partnership Board, Natural England, Wildlife Trusts, amongst others. In 2009, the Board agreed a |Joint Delivery Framework, which sets out details of mitigation and avoidance measures to avoid adverse impact on the SPA.
How are we working to address the SPA issue in Elmbridge?
In view of the need to put in place mitigation measures as soon as possible the Council produced an Interim Mitigation Strategy. Following consideration of the Draft Interim Mitigation Strategy for Elmbridge by the Council's Planning Committee in November 2006, the Strategy was made available for public comment for a four week period (November/December 2006). An analysis of the responses received, and amendments to the Interim Mitigation Strategy consequent upon the consultation responses, were considered by the Councils Planning Committee at its meeting on 20 February 2007, when it was recommended that, inter alia, the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area Interim Mitigation Strategy for Elmbridge be approved by Council.
The Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area Interim Mitigation Strategy for Elmbridge was adopted by Council on 11 April 2007 and can be downloaded below:
- |Interim Mitigation Strategy
- |Interim Mitigation Strategy - Appendix 1
- |Interim Mitigation Strategy - Appendices 2-4
The Interim Mitigation Strategy sets out the Council's approach to mitigating the adverse effects of new residential development on the SPA through the provision of SANG. It does not currently address the strategic access management and monitoring issue.
|Draft Addendum to the Interim Mitigation Strategy
An Access Management Partnership has been set up through the JSPB and has developed a Strategic Access Management and Monitoring Project, known as SAMM, to deliver the second element of mitigation. The project will be coordinated strategically and jointly funded through developer contributions by way of a tariff applied to all new dwellings within 5km of the SPA, collected across the 11 affected authorities.
The Council's emerging Core Strategy includes a commitment to work towards collecting contributions for Strategic Access Management and Monitoring. A Draft Addendum to the Interim Mitigation Strategy has been produced which sets out a proposed methodology for calculating a local Strategic Access Management and Monitoring tariff in accordance with draft guidance produced by Natural England. The Draft Addendum can be downloaded below:
The Council published the Draft Addendum for consultation for a period of 4 weeks between Monday 12 July and Monday 9 August 2010.
**Please note - the Draft Addendum was prepared prior to the Secretary of State's announcement regarding the revocation of the South East Plan. Any references made to South East Plan policies within the Draft Addendum will be reviewed and amended as appropriate following consultation**
What next
Comments received to the consultation will be analysed and taken into account in preparing the final version of the Addendum. It is envisaged that the Addendum will be adopted for Development Control purposes by the beginning of October 2010.
The composite Interim Mitigation Strategy will be reviewed and updated in due course to fully incorporate information on access management and monitoring contributions as well as take account of new SANG standards set out in the South East Plan and to ensure it covers the period up to 2026. It is proposed that this will be produced in conjunction with the Elmbridge Planning Obligations and Infrastructure SPD in the next 2 years.
