Ecology

Category Background

To ensure that the ecological value of the site is conserved and enhanced maintaining biodiversity and protecting existing natural habitats which can contribute to and enhance the amenity of the area.

“The South East has a high quality of landscape, with the highest proportion of land covered by national or international designations of any English region, and the highest proportion of woodland. Its attractiveness, geography and economic success mean that it is subject to substantial development pressures both national and international.” Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section A Para 1.1

Biodiversity, healthy ecosystems and green spaces contribute to a high quality of life. However development pressures, poor land management and fragmentation of habitats have contributed to the loss of both habitats and species in the South East. Climate change presents another challenge. It is expected that animals and plants will need to move north as the climate changes, and to do this they need corridors of suitable and connected land.

Biodiverse and attractive landscapes provide economic benefit, attracting tourists and local people to spend leisure time in the region. The South East has major woodland resources, offering a productive crop, recreation and leisure opportunities.

“The region is the most wooded in England, with almost 275,000 hectares covering around 15% of the land area (the area of woodland having increased over recent years), although coverage varies around the region. This provides many social and environmental benefits for its inhabitants. The management of a substantial proportion of this resource is, however, inadequate and many woodlands are neglected.” Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section D5 Para 7.1

Plants and trees also have urban and suburban benefit, stabilising soil, preventing erosion, reducing water run-off and forming visual, wind and noise barriers, softening the built environment. They can also provide shading to reduce solar gain – a study in Merseyside showed a 7 degree reduction in temperature where there was a 50% cover of vegetation (compared with an area with 15% vegetation coverage).

“The region has many sites recognised to be of national and international importance, in addition to many more of local importance and value to communities, including urban wildlife sites and corridors where wildlife has flourished. Continued protection of important wildlife assets needs to be accompanied by better management, the reduction in fragmentation and, where possible, the expansion of habitats.” Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section A D5 Para 2.5

Careful design of landscaping means that streets can be linked to parks and open space in a way which increases the “liveability” of higher density developments. According to a study by CABE, a view of trees is, along with the availability of natural areas nearby, the strongest factor affecting people’s satisfaction with their neighbourhood. They found that if green spaces are surrounded by housing or are in some way a continuation of the home environment, then they are shared by residents and are unlikely to suffer from the kind of maintenance problems that arise when there is a lack of perceived ownership. Economic studies carried out by CABE also demonstrate a positive economic benefit for house prices and commercial premises directly on, or near to, a park. Small businesses choosing a new business location rank open space, parks and recreation as a number-one priority. They note that a network of clearly linked green spaces, rather than isolated parks, potentially contributes to spreading the value uplift across a wider area. CABE – see Useful Resources

PPG 7 (ODPM) notes that “Development proposals provide many opportunities for building-in beneficial biodiversity or geological features as part of good design.When considering proposals, local planning authorities should maximise such opportunities in and around developments, using planning obligations where appropriate. PPG 7 para 14

“Planning has an important and positive role to play in protecting and enhancing the region’s biodiversity, and helping natural systems to adapt to climate change impacts. Local authorities, government agencies and other organisations should work together to achieve biodiversity targets by:

  1. ensuring that opportunities for biodiversity improvement are sought and realised as part of development schemes, including regeneration and development of previously developed land, and that where possible these contribute to creation and enhancement of green corridors and networks
  2. identifying and securing measures to help implement biodiversity improvement including, for example, developer contributions and targeting of agri-environment schemes”
Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section A D5 Para 2.5

Whilst larger schemes have greater potential for regenerating habitats and providing new habitat, smaller schemes should also play their part, incorporating appropriate species, enabling green corridors and contributing to the overall quality of the local environment. Design, construction techniques and materials choices can all support individual species, for example through dry stone walls, nesting boxes, green roofs, hedging rather than fencing.

With these policy issues in mind, this section of the checklist addresses:
  • Protecting existing habitats, species and migration routes
  • Support for species identified in the local biodiversity action plan
  • Supporting and increasing the ecological value of the site
  • Linking green spaces and habitat.

Useful resources:

This checklist is no longer supported

The Government announced that as part of its new policy on economic development all Regional Development Agencies, including SEEDA, will close.

This checklist will remain online to allow existing users to reference their existing projects. New accounts and projects can no longer be created.