Biodiversity

When a new development is granted planning permission we aim to make sure there is no loss of biodiversity on important sites. The target we use to monitor this is:

Core Strategy Target 11.3

To ensure that as a minimum development causes no net loss of biodiversity of acknowledged importance. This target is on track.

The sites of acknowledged biodiversity importance are Plymouth Sound and estuaries european marine site, nine sites of special scientific interest, 23 county wildlife sites and eight local nature reserves. In 2010/11 no planning approvals or plans proposed in the Local Development Framework had significant biodiversity impacts on these sites.

On 64 per cent of the planning approvals likely to have an impact on wildlife, the Council negotiated provisions for a net gain in biodiversity. Examples of these might include ponds, bat bricks, and wildlife meadows. Twelve planning applications were refused or withdrawn due in part to insufficient information on the effect of the proposal on biodiversity.

This page of the annual monitoring report was last updated December 2011.