The Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) expands upon policies in the adopted Plan for Stafford Borough.
The SPD guides developers through the ecological mitigation hierarchy of: Information; Avoidance; Mitigation; Compensation; and New Benefits, clearly detailing:
- When to Survey, What to Survey for,
- and how Surveys should be conducted,
It provides developers with a clear “plain English” step-by-step guide for working with protected and priority species and habitats which are likely to be impacted upon by their proposed developments. The SPD details Stafford Borough Council’s requirements for applicants to build nature conservation features into developments, ensuring that a measurable net-gain to the Borough’s biodiversity is always achieved.
This SPD highlights the importance that applicants protect and enhance existing nature conversation features within proposed developments, following best practice guidance and the mitigation hierarchy. On occasions, where mitigation is not possible, the SPD details what Stafford Borough Council requires a developer to consider when incorporating ecological compensation (including Biodiversity Offsets) within their development scheme.
The Council invited comments on the Biodiversity Draft SPD (pdf 5mb) with the consultation taking place between Monday 3 February 2020 and Monday 16 March 2020. Responses to the consultation are currently being processed and will be considered by the Council prior to adopting the final version of the Biodiversity SPD.