Nature & environment

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains how the plan is being prepared. The councils have based their strategy on technical evidence and feedback from residents, businesses and other stakeholders, working within national planning policy. A Sustainability Appraisal tests the social, environmental and economic effects of the options, and a Habitats Regulations Assessment checks that proposals will not significantly harm protected species or habitats. Equalities and health assessments have also been prepared, and the councils have worked with neighbouring authorities on cross-boundary issues such as unmet housing need.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains sustainable development and the plan's approach of Environmental Net Gain (ENG). Sustainable development means meeting today's needs without compromising future generations. ENG aims to leave the local environment better off than legal biodiversity rules alone require, covering carbon, soils, water, air quality, flood management and green spaces. ENG is an ambition rather than a mandatory requirement, but it is embedded across many policies, marked with a special symbol, and counts as a material consideration when shaping development proposals.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full wording and reasoning behind Policy DS.1 on environmental mitigation and compensation. Compensation is only supported where avoidance and mitigation are not achievable and where measures are deliverable, secured and managed long term. Off-site measures should align with local priorities such as the Warwickshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy. The policy extends the national mitigation hierarchy beyond biodiversity to other natural assets and ecosystem services, and it does not override statutory tests on heritage, flood risk or biodiversity.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the green and blue infrastructure chapter. Green infrastructure means natural, cultivated or designed assets such as trees, woodlands, hedgerows and open spaces. Blue infrastructure means water features such as rivers, streams, wetlands, ponds and canals, and some features, like floodplains, can be both. The policies here support strategic objectives including timely infrastructure, attractive places, better quality of life, connecting people to places and protecting environmental assets.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section adds detail on how sustainable drainage systems should be designed. SuDS must be planned as an integral part of the site layout, favouring above-ground and dispersed features rather than reliance on one large storage feature. They should deliver several benefits at once: reducing flood risk, cleaning water through a four-stage treatment train, boosting wildlife, providing attractive amenity space and helping to cool urban areas. Drainage features should also become part of the wider ecological network.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires development to protect, improve and extend green and blue infrastructure, meaning natural assets such as open spaces, trees, rivers and canals. Schemes must secure management and funding for these features for at least 30 years. Proposals should contribute to strategic opportunities identified in the evidence, such as restoring ancient woodlands, a River Avon Linear Park and better access to the canals. Design must respond to local landscape character, connect habitats, use native and climate-resilient planting and help reduce flood risk.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the green and blue infrastructure policy and sets measurable standards. Major developments must provide a green and blue infrastructure strategy. Commercial schemes must achieve an Urban Greening Factor score of at least 0.3 and residential schemes at least 0.4. Tree canopy must cover at least 14% of commercial sites and 20% of residential sites, or improve on existing cover if that is greater. These networks support wildlife, manage flood risk, store carbon and provide accessible space for recreation.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets the framework for new large-scale renewable energy generation and storage, covering solar farms, wind, battery storage, bioenergy, hydrogen, heat networks and hydro energy. Proposals must follow national policy, avoid or mitigate significant harm, use land efficiently and take a whole-system approach linking generation with storage and wider energy infrastructure. Applicants should show proportionate local community benefits. A land use hierarchy applies: brownfield land first, then lower-grade farmland, with the best and most versatile agricultural land used only where no reasonable alternative exists.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets detailed requirements for different types of large renewable energy scheme. Solar farms on brownfield land are supported where contamination is addressed and impacts such as glint, glare and noise are avoided. On greenfield land, developers must justify the site, avoid prominent ridgelines and high-value habitats, keep hedgerows and show the best farmland is not needed for food production. Solar is also supported on former quarries, capped landfill, marginal land, transport corridors and car park canopies. Wind energy should go on brownfield or lower-grade agricultural land.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section continues the detailed renewable energy requirements. Wind schemes on the best farmland need a sequential site assessment and must allow farming to continue on most of the site. Battery storage must show fire safety measures and should sit near substations or grid nodes. Major developments must be heat network ready where a district heat network exists or is planned. Farm bioenergy must use genuine waste rather than energy crops, and hydrogen, hydro and carbon capture schemes each have their own safety and location tests.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires development to protect and support the long-term storage of carbon in natural habitats. All development must apply the mitigation hierarchy, which means avoiding harm to carbon sinks first, and must retain carbon-rich features such as soils, peatlands, woodlands, hedgerows, wetlands, grasslands and waterbodies. Development is also expected to deliver a measurable gain in carbon storage, preferably on site, and to secure long-term management of these natural carbon stores.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the policy on carbon sinks, which are natural features that absorb and store carbon. Where a carbon storage gain cannot reasonably be achieved on site, this must be justified with evidence, and off-site measures should support the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and may use recognised schemes such as the Ecosystem Services Trading Protocol. Planting to absorb carbon cannot be used as a substitute for avoiding harm to irreplaceable habitats, soils or peatlands. A 2024 technical study mapped existing carbon sinks and sequestration opportunities across the area.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the chapter on enhancing South Warwickshire's built and natural environment, starting with the natural environment. It notes that key habitats and species are in worrying decline locally, and that development under the plan must not come at nature's expense. Instead the plan will protect and enhance existing ecological assets and include proposals for country parks and biodiversity enhancement areas. It previews policies on protected sites, nature recovery, Biodiversity Net Gain, trees and hedgerows, landscape management and farmland.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section opens the natural environment part of the plan and lists the strategic objectives it supports, including protecting environmental assets and working towards environmental net gain. It stresses that a healthy natural environment provides food, fresh water, clean air, climate resilience, flood control and recreation. With habitats and species declining across South Warwickshire, the plan aims to halt and reverse these losses. The policies that follow cover protected sites, the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, Biodiversity Net Gain, trees and woodlands, landscape management and the best farmland.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces Policy BN.1 on protecting sites, habitats and species. It states that these form a vital part of biodiversity in the wider green and blue infrastructure network. Development is expected to enhance, restore and support protected and important sites, habitats and species, whether on or next to the development site, taking recreational pressures into account. Development will not be permitted where it would cause unacceptable harm to them.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full protection rules for wildlife sites, habitats and species. Development causing loss or deterioration of internationally designated sites, Sites of Special Scientific Interest or irreplaceable habitats such as ancient woodland will be refused, and locally important sites are also protected. Minimum wildlife buffers apply: 50 metres from ancient woodland and veteran trees, 30 metres from other woodland, 8 metres either side of watercourses and 5 metres either side of intact hedgerows. Up-to-date ecological surveys are required where protected assets may be affected.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires development proposals to show how they have taken account of the Warwickshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy, a county-wide plan for restoring nature. Development should support its delivery by maintaining, restoring or creating the habitats it identifies, strengthening ecological networks and habitat connections, and helping the recovery of its priority species. Any biodiversity or environmental enhancement measures within a scheme should line up with the strategy's priorities and opportunity areas.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the background to the Local Nature Recovery Strategy policy. The strategy was introduced by the Environment Act 2021 and prepared by Warwickshire County Council to identify the best places for creating and restoring habitats. It is not a planning designation and adds no new constraints, but councils must have regard to it. Developers can show compliance through green infrastructure design, aligning Biodiversity Net Gain with strategy priorities, and using its mapping data. Local habitats and species such as calcareous grassland, Eurasian curlews and lesser horseshoe bats get special consideration.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy, BN.3, requires all development to protect biodiversity and contribute to its recovery. Proposals must apply the mitigation hierarchy, deliver measurable habitat improvements supporting the Warwickshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy, and secure long-term management of biodiversity assets. Where land has been deliberately degraded before an application, the council will assess it on its original condition. Development subject to mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain must deliver at least 10% net gain, provided on site as a priority, with off-site provision guided by the local Ecosystem Services Trading Protocol.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the biodiversity policy. It applies to all development, not just schemes that trigger the statutory Biodiversity Net Gain rules under the Environment Act 2021, because even small schemes can improve habitats and connections between them. Biodiversity gains must be secured and managed for a minimum of 30 years. The justification acknowledges viability challenges on some sites, notes a lower requirement for brownfield land to support reuse of previously developed sites, and points applicants to recognised methods such as British Standard 8683:2021.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires development to protect, enhance and expand trees, hedgerows, woodlands and community orchards as key parts of South Warwickshire's natural environment and landscape character. Proposals must protect and retain existing trees and hedges of ecological, landscape, historic or amenity value. This includes ancient woodland, ancient and veteran trees, and trees covered by Tree Preservation Orders, which are legal protections placed on specific trees.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full requirements for trees, hedges and woodlands. Development must keep buffer zones around ancient woodland and veteran trees, design retained trees into streets, open spaces and drainage from the start, and deliver a measurable increase in tree canopy cover. All planting must use native, climate-resilient species and have maintenance plans, including replacing failed planting. The justification notes tree cover is uneven across the area and points to recognised standards such as BS 5837 for tree protection and the UK Forestry Standard.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires a Landscape and Environmental Management Plan, known as a LEMP, wherever landscape mitigation, restoration or habitat creation is proposed. The plan must be secured through planning conditions or a legal agreement for at least 30 years or the full life of the development, whichever is longer. It must set clear management objectives, include baseline surveys of existing landscape and wildlife features, give detailed specifications for all planting and landscape elements, and identify who will manage the land and how it will be funded.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the landscape management policy. Management responsibility for new landscape areas will first be offered to the town or parish council, then to the local authority, with adoption plus a 30-year maintenance payment the preferred outcome. Management plans must cover monitoring, invasive species control, litter, public safety, measures against vandalism, and lighting controls to protect dark skies and rural character. The 30-year minimum period matches national biodiversity legislation and ensures improvements are sustained and adapted over time.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects agricultural land and soils. The best and most versatile farmland, Grades 1, 2 and 3a, must be protected from permanent loss wherever possible, with development steered to lower grade land (Grades 3b, 4 and 5) instead. Building on the best land is only acceptable where no suitable lower-grade alternative exists and the benefits clearly outweigh the land's long-term value for food production, climate resilience and ecosystem services. Soils must be managed sustainably, including saving and reusing topsoil during construction.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the policy on farmland and soils. Development of 5 hectares or more should include a sustainable soil management strategy following Defra's Construction Code of Practice for soils on construction sites. The justification describes agricultural land as a finite resource supporting food security, rural economies and climate resilience. Where soils are disturbed, they should be restored so they can support farming, carbon storage or wildlife. Lower grade land may be developed where this does not undermine wider sustainability aims.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the pollution policy. It notes that residual harm may only be permitted where it is offset through environmental improvements, secured and monitored long term, and where cumulative pollution from several developments together would not become unacceptable. The justification cites national policy requiring development to avoid causing or suffering unacceptable soil, air, water, noise or light pollution, and to respect Air Quality Management Areas and Clean Air Zones. Planning conditions or legal agreements may secure long-term management of compensation measures.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the policy on historic parks, gardens and village greens. It describes them as irreplaceable historic landscapes that contribute significantly to local character, identity and biodiversity, often containing mature trees and species-rich habitats. A landscape-led approach ensures development respects historic design intent and setting. The justification notes development can also bring opportunities to reinstate lost landscape features and improve public access, and that the required assessments make sure change is well informed and well managed.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full waterways policy. Development affecting waterways must not harm water quality, heritage, landscape, biodiversity or the usability of towpaths, and should improve access and active travel routes. On navigable waterways, moorings and marinas are supported where they do not damage the waterway or its surroundings, with canal regeneration encouraged, notably around the Grand Union Canal Conservation Area. Culverts are permitted for access only. Major schemes should consider new moorings for boat dwellers and strategic opportunities such as the Tach Brook re-naturalisation and a River Avon Linear Park.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers the Long Marston Airfield New Community, a 697-hectare site for at least 10,300 homes, with a minimum of 4,500 built by 2050. It also provides 15 hectares of employment land, 21 Gypsy and Traveller pitches, four primary schools, a secondary school with land reserved for a second, a district centre, three local centres and a new country park. Early phases of 500 homes can start first, but wider development depends on the Stratford-upon-Avon Bypass opening, expected in 2035. Land is safeguarded for a railway station.