The human version (we wrote this, not the council)
This section sets out Objective 1, on the natural and built environment. It aims to conserve and enhance Buckinghamshire's natural, historic and built environments and protect them from inappropriate development. This includes sustaining rural character, protecting the Chilterns National Landscape and Green Belt, improving water quality in rivers and rare chalk streams, and respecting heritage assets. The county has three Special Areas of Conservation, around 180 conservation areas and close to 6,000 listed buildings.
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Planning for the Natural and Built Environment
Local Plan Objective 1 Aim: To conserve and enhance Buckinghamshire’s valued natural, historic, and built environments, to ensure they are protected from inappropriate development.
a) Sustain the rural character of Buckinghamshire.
b) Protect valued landscapes, including the Chilterns National Landscape, and open countryside in the Green Belt from harmful or inappropriate development.
c) Conserve and enhance special places for nature and create an enhanced connected county-wide network of green and blue infrastructure which maximises opportunities for biodiversity net gain through the creation of new priority habitats, (having regard to the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Local Nature Recovery Strategy).
d) Improve water quality in our rivers and watercourses, including our globally rare chalk streams.
e) Ensure that development respects historic assets and facilitates the enhancement of their setting.
f) Support regeneration of the built environment. The natural environment provides many benefits, which include improving air quality, mitigating the effects of climate change, providing habitats for flora and fauna, and providing places for people to connect with nature. The Chilterns National Landscape (formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) already has a high level of protection. Whilst Green Belt is not an environmental designation, it still protects areas from development, preventing sprawl and keeping areas open. Buckinghamshire has three Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) – the Chilterns Beechwoods, Burnham Beeches and in the south-west, adjacent to the Chilterns Beechwoods, Aston Rowant on the boundary with Oxfordshire. Two of these SACs require financial contributions from developers to offset the additional recreational impact of future development and provision of Suitable Alternative Natural Green space (SANG). Buckinghamshire also has many historic towns and villages with around 180 conservation areas and close to 6,000 listed buildings. Buckinghamshire has several Registered Parks and Gardens which are protected. Whilst some areas experience change, the Local Plan supports the conservation of Buckinghamshire’s historic places and buildings. The need to accommodate growth in Buckinghamshire inevitably places pressure on the natural and built environment.
4.8 The Council will work with partners and stakeholders to ensure nature recovery aims are achieved, including implementing the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.