Biodiversity & Planning Conference

​The 6th Biodiversity and Planning Conference organised by Surrey Nature Partnerships on the theme of Policy to Practice: Delivering Nature Recovery was held at Dorking Halls on March 25th.  While last year the hot topic was the Local Nature Recovery Strategy this year the focus was very much on the practicalities of implementing Biodiversity Net Gain in the context of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which has been designed to enable 1.5m new homes to be built over the next five years.

The excellent and informative range of speakers and expert panels tackled topics such as:
Spatial and Strategic Level Planning
Strategic Land Management Framework
Strategic Plan for Returning to Natural Processes in the Landscape
Habitat Banks
Surrey Nature Recovery
Biodiversity Net Gain
Biodiversity Duty
BNG Metrics for Water and Wetlands
Cockcrow – the UK’s first heathland bridge in Surrey

 Not surprisingly, as a lay person I found some of the content heavy going and overly complex, but I managed to gain a number of impressions:
1 There is a massive amount change in the policy for planning world made even more complex in Surrey by Local Government Reorganisation. While SCC will be initially responsible for the implementation of the new NPPF it will eventually hand them over to the new Mayoral authority.
2 While the Local Nature Recovery Strategy will be a key policy to protect nature and guide planners in their decision making it is only one of 9 policies in the planning framework and decisions on planning have to integrate all dimensions of the framework.
3 Surrey has some unusual characteristics that will pose a challenge for planners. For example 74% of Surrey is in Greenbelt.
4 The new approach to planning is viewed as a strategic, vision-led approach which is intended to remove some of the politics in decision-making about new developments.
5 While there are opportunities to embed nature recovery at the start of the planning process there are concerns about the ability of local groups to influence decision-making.
6 Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is an approach to new development that aims to leave nature in a measurably better state than it was found. The Surrey Wildlife Trust Guide to BNG provides an excellent overview 1. While the intentions underlying BNG are admirable the policy is turning nature into a complex market place with new players entering the market and new concepts like Habitat Banks being introduced.

My overarching take away is that we are living in exciting times from a planning perspective. The push for growth is the new mantra  itand sitting alongside this is our urgent need to protect nature and enable nature to flourish. There is a real tension between ECONOMIC GROWTH & PROTECTING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT  and only time will tell if the new policy framework will be implemented in a way that balances these very different needs.

A conference should help you develop your understanding and expose you to new ideas, which this conference certainly did. But I’m disappointed if I’m not inspired by one new thought or insight. The little gem I took away from this conference was the idea shared by Tom Crawshaw of being a good ancestor. The Māori concept of being a good ancestor is deeply rooted in the idea of ‘kaitiakitanga’, which means guardianship and stewardship. It involves caring for the environment, preserving cultural heritage, and making choices that benefit future generations. I like this idea very much and feel the need and ambition to be a good ancestor should be deeply ingrained into our culture.

And this thought triggered my new insight. It is all very well having an enormous, multidimensional framework for planning and decision-making for new developments, and of course nature and environment have to be a fundamental feature of the framework, BUT underpinning this  toolbox for planners there needs to be a CULTURE that connects us, in a profound way, to the idea of being a good ancestor. While GROWTH is writ large in the planning world, there was little mention in this conference of the ways we GROW & SUSTAIN such a culture through the educational, family and community environments that enable us to learn and develop as individuals, communities and societies. This is where we can all play our part, as teachers, parents, grandparents and members of our communities, in contributing to a more sustainable future by being and becoming a good ancestor.  In our own small way, our 4Bs Biodiversity Initiative provides us with a vehicle for growing our own culture for being and becoming a good ancestor in the particular place we call home.

Norman Jackson 4Bs Biodiversity Initiative

Reference
1 BNG Explained  -Surrey Wildlife Trust 

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