Natural environment and climate resilience

SP13 - Natural environment and climate resilience This strategic policy is supporting Local Plan objectives 1, 2 and 4. SP13: Natural environment and climate resilience 1. The Council will promote the conservation and enhancement of the natural environment and green infrastructure of the area through: 2. Conserving, protecting and enhancing the Chilterns National Landscape and other natural environmental assets of local, national and international importance for biodiversity and geodiversity by: a) Protecting them from harmful development through development management policies in this Plan including the protection of biodiversity and landscape designations and taking a landscape character-based approach to considering proposals. b) Working with the Chilterns Conservation Board and other agencies to improve the management of the national landscape and other natural assets and help people’s enjoyment of them. 3. Ensuring the plan contributes to nature recovery and biodiversity net gain by: a) having due regards to the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) seeking to deliver bigger, better, connected and more natural habitat. b) delivering a biodiversity net gain of at least 10% within applicable individual development proposals and across the area over the plan period. c) working with the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Environmental Record Centre to enable the local designation of habitats of recognised ecological value. 4. Working with the natural environment partnership and its members, to protect and enhance the green and blue infrastructure network of the area by: a) Proactive, early and strategic planning of green and blue infrastructure to maximise its multi-functional benefits, starting from an informed baseline assessment of what exists (function, location, size, connectivity). b) Keeping under review and updating the extent and function of the Green Infrastructure network in coordination with the Bucks and Milton Keynes Natural Environment Partnership and other agencies. c) Ensuring through development management policies that all development is required to maximise the opportunities to protect, enhance, expand, connect, improve and utilise the existing green infrastructure, including across the border of the development site. 5. Working in partnership with the Environment Agency, Natural England and the water companies to protect, manage and improve water quality in Buckinghamshire, particularly the quality of water bodies which are currently failing to meet the Water Framework Directive (WFD) requirements as set out in the Thames River Basin Management Plan (RBMP). The Council promotes mitigation and adaptation to climate change through: 6. A development strategy that minimises the need to travel by allocating sites and directing development to locations with the greatest access to jobs, services and facilities, or where they are capable of being improved. 7. Ensuring allocations in this Plan and other new development coming forward take account of climate impacts including flood risk. 8. Integrating blue and green infrastructure into the design of new development, including the use of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and increasing canopy cover which helps tackle flood risk and mitigate against the urban heat island effect. 9. Adopting higher water efficiency standards to contribute to alleviating water stress across the area. 10. Facilitate the delivery of renewable and low carbon energy sources and support the integration of renewable technologies into residential and commercial developments. 5.163 The Chilterns Landscape contains varied and extensive natural environmental assets. Some are of international importance, such as the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation, Burnham Beeches Special Area of Conservation, and the Chilterns chalk streams. Others are of more local importance including local wildlife sites and local nature reserves. Some assets are not limited to a specific site at all. All contribute to making Buckinghamshire a special place and should be conserved and enhanced. 5.164 The Council will work with its partners to achieve this, including with the Chilterns Conservation Board and Natural England to successfully manage the national landscape, including through implementation of the Chilterns AONB Management Plan and implementation of local improvement and management projects. 5.165 The national landscape has influenced the strategy in where development has been directed in so much as that the Council has avoided allocating sites that would be “major development” in the national landscape. We have considered the landscape impact of allocations in this Plan and sought to allocate homes at the more sustainable villages in the national landscape. 5.166 Areas of biodiversity and landscape importance form part of a wider green infrastructure network across Buckinghamshire that also extends beyond our administrative boundary, and that also includes “blue” infrastructure – rivers and streams. The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Local Nature Recovery Strategy identify a baseline for habitats and species of priority importance, as well as opportunities for nature recovery. The Council will continue to work with the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Natural Environment Partnership and other partners to deliver these opportunities. 5.167 Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 places a duty on all public authorities in England and Wales to have regard, in the exercise of their functions, to the purpose of conserving biodiversity. National planning policy requires not just the conservation but also the enhancement of the natural environment, including biodiversity. 5.168 Some sites that are of known importance have been designated. These designated sites include sites of international, national or local importance: a) Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protected Areas (SPAs) b) National Nature Reserves (NNR) c) Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) d) Local wildlife sites (LWS) e) Biological Notification Sites (BNS) and potential Local Wildlife Sites (pLWS) f) Local Nature Reserves (LNR) g) Local Geological Sites (LGS) h) Ancient Woodland, aged or veteran trees i) UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Priority Habitats 5.169 These designated sites are the anchor to an important part of the biodiversity network. By requiring a 10% net gain in biodiversity, in accordance with national policy for all development, and long-term management and monitoring plans to secure it, including where designated sites are adjacent to development, an enhancement of the biodiversity value of these sites can be ensured. 5.170 However, protecting biodiversity interests goes beyond individual sites: their value is enhanced when they form part of a network. The Plan has had due regard to the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (see DM policy X). 5.171 The Water Framework Directive is a key directive that seeks to protect and improve the quality of water. Its overarching aim is to prevent deterioration in the status of water bodies and to achieve ‘good status’ for rivers, lakes and groundwater by no later than 2027. 5.172 Specifically, this includes: a) Protecting all forms of water (inland, surface, transitional, coastal and ground). b) Restoring the ecosystems in and around these bodies of water. c) Reducing pollution in water bodies; and d) Ensuring sustainable water usage. 5.173 In preparing this Plan the Council has worked with Stakeholders to assess the impacts of growth and ensure there is no deterioration in water quality. 5.174 We will continue to do so as proposals in this Plan are delivered and to inform any reviews of the Water Framework Directive or relevant River Basin Management plans. 5.175 In 2021, Buckinghamshire Council published its Climate Change and Air Quality Strategy, which sets out how the Council will achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and improve air quality across the county. A key objective of this strategy is to embed climate change considerations into policy. 5.176 The plan will direct growth to locations which minimise the need to travel by private car, aid public transport viability, intensify existing urban areas by re-use of brownfield sites and locating development in settlements with the widest range of services and facilities. 5.177 The increased risk of flooding due to climate change is also a real risk in the area and this greater risk has been factored into the choice of site allocations, through the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment level 1 and 2 and sequential testing report. It should also be factored into more detailed development proposals where necessary at the planning application stage and Policy CC1 (Flood Risk) and Policy CC2 (Sustainable Drainage) ensures this. Mitigation, for instance though Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), can also be integrated with wider objectives to improve blue and green infrastructure and achieve an overall improvement in biodiversity. 5.178 Buckinghamshire is an area of water stress from a supply point of view and as such this Plan adopted higher technical standards for water efficiency. Policy NE1: Water Quality ensures that we protect water quality across Buckinghamshire, including the Chalk Aquifer. 5.179 National planning policy requires local plans to promote increased use and provision of renewable and low-carbon energy. To achieve this, the plan will identify suitable areas for renewable and low carbon energy sources. 5.180 Energy efficiency standards are primarily factored into new buildings through building regulations. The Future Homes Standard and Future Buildings Standard were published in March 2026, which sets out requirements to ensure homes and non-residential buildings are low-carbon, energy efficient and zero carbon ready. New homes and new non-residential buildings must comply with the Future Homes Standard by March 2027.