Consultation on proposed Environment & Biodiversity Strategy
Consultation on proposed Environment & Biodiversity Strategy
Council on 23rd September 2021 approved a Climate Change and Environmental Strategy. That Strategy contained a section “Protecting and Enhancing Green Spaces”. The overall objective being “to protect and enhance the town’s Green spaces, promote and encourage tree planting, and seek to increase and enrich biodiversity”.
The Town Council is responsible for most of the Town’s Parks and Open Spaces. These urban green spaces not only provide for sport, recreation and play but also for an enriched natural environment protecting the Town from and mitigating the effects of climate change and air pollution.
Therefore, as part of the Climate Change and Environmental Strategy, a commitment was made to “produce an Environment and Biodiversity Strategy for our Parks and Open Spaces, which will set out the Council’s approach to tree planting and maintenance, along with the Council’s commitment to enhancing and enriching biodiversity”.
Draft Environment and Biodiversity Strategy
Our proposed Environment and Biodiversity Strategy is now available for consultation and we are inviting comments and suggestions.
The Foreword of the Strategy includes the link to the Climate Change and Environmental Strategy. There is a context chapter “The Journey to Date”, summarising key initiatives and projects supporting the environment and biodiversity agenda, which have already been delivered or are in the process of being delivered by the Council.
There is then a chapter for the key environment and biodiversity promises in the Climate Change and Environmental Strategy, namely Tree Planting and Maintenance and Enhancing and Enriching Biodiversity. A Management of Land and Assets chapter covers the remaining promises relating to water course management, play equipment, contracts and procurement. Finally, Chapter 6 of the Strategy sets out an annual action planning, monitoring and review process to deliver the Strategy’s ambitions and objectives.
You can submit comments in writing, by using our form (PDF version or Word Version) or through our online survey here.
The deadline for consultation comments was 9.00am on Tuesday 19th April 2022.
Adoption of Strategy
Policy & Resources Committee has delegated authority to “decide on all questions of policy in connection with the adoption and maintenance of Public Open Space” (delegation (i)). Therefore, the Committee recieved the consultation comments and responses, along with proposed revisions to the Strategy, at its meeting on the 28th April 2022 for consideration and approval.
