19. ANP13: Biodiversity

19.1Biodiversity and wildlife in the UK are under unprecedented pressure. Much of England’s wildlife is deteriorating, and many ecosystems are degraded (JNCC 2019 6th National Report to UN Convention on Biological Diversity). The UK has a number of international and legislative commitments to take urgent and effective action to halt the loss of nature and biodiversity. The Surrey Nature Partnership confirm that 30% of ecosystem services in Surrey are also in decline. The Environment Act (2021) and the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan set the ambition of embedding nature recovery and ‘environmental net gain’ principles within the planning system.

19.2Albury parish has a number of vulnerable species (including the Hazel Dormouse, Barbarstelle, Serotine and Brandt’s Whiskered Bats, invertebrates, birds and insects). Newlands Corner and Merrow Downs is one of the most important ancient yew sites in Western Europe with over 600 Ancient, Veteran and Mature Yews. Albury Park has over 300 Ancient, Veteran and Notable trees on the Ancient Tree Inventory, and is by far the most important site for lichens in Surrey. The parish also contains SSSI’s SNCI’s BOA’s and Ancient Woodland and The Tillingbourne is a chalk river, as detailed on Policy MAP P. In addition to development, the parish attracts large numbers of people for recreational purposes including walkers, cyclists, horse riders and increasingly off-road vehicles. These present additional threats to wildlife and habitats. The Green Infrastructure Report provides detail (APPENDIX F).

19.3The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 places a biodiversity duty on all public authorities, (including local authorities) to have regard to the purpose of conserving biodiversity. Section 40 states that “Every public authority must, in exercising its functions, have regard, so far as is consistent with the proper exercise of those functions, to the purpose of conserving biodiversity.” This duty aims to raise the profile of biodiversity across the public sector and ensure that biodiversity conservation is at the heart of policymaking and service delivery for local planning authorities. This policy supports this.

19.4To address this threat, it is important to make the parish more wildlife friendly by creating more habitats for native insects, birds, reptiles and mammals, trees and plants whilst retaining and protecting their habitats wherever possible.

19.5The Environment Act (Nov 2021) established the requirement for mandatory biodiversity net gain (BNG) and became a legal requirement from February 2024. The Act includes the following key components:

1. Minimum 10% gain required calculated using an approved Biodiversity Metric and approval of a net gain plan. Guildford Borough Council has adopted 20% and this higher expectation is adopted in the Neighbourhood Plan.

2. Habitat secured for at least 30 years via obligations/ conservation covenant.

3. While habitat can be delivered on-site, off-site or via statutory biodiversity credits, the mitigation hierarchy still applies of avoidance, mitigation and compensation for biodiversity loss (see mitigation hierarchy below).

4. Does not change existing legal environmental and wildlife protections.

5. Net gain The NPPF places a renewed emphasis on the need for developments not just to protect existing wildlife but contribute to net gain in nature conservation. The Guildford Local Plan sets a requirement for development to achieve a 20% biodiversity net gain. The Neighbourhood Plan supports this approach. The biodiversity net gain hierarchy means the following actions in the following order of priority as listed below.

6. avoiding adverse effects of the development on onsite habitat with a habitat distinctiveness score, applied in the biodiversity metric, equal to or higher than six.

7. so far as those adverse effects cannot be avoided, mitigating those effects.

8. so far as those adverse effects cannot be mitigated, habitat enhancement of onsite habitat.

9. so far as there cannot be that enhancement, creation of onsite habitat.

10. so far as there cannot be that creation, the availability of registered offsite biodiversity gain.

11. so far as that offsite habitat enhancement cannot be secured, purchasing biodiversity credits.

12. Wildlife corridors. Whilst preserving the sites is important, it is the links between different habitats the “green infrastructure” which allows wildlife to move around and thrive. These include green spaces, woodland, Local Green Spaces, rivers and ponds, allotments, hedgerows, street trees, graveyards, back gardens, railway cuttings and embankments, drainage ditches, road verges, fields and disused land. Providing habitat corridors supports the health and resilience of wildlife which is essential to enhancing its ability to support the ecosystem we rely on: air purification, water and climate regulation. Green spaces perform multiple functions from wildlife habitat to, routes for cycling and walking, space to grow food, trees to regulate microclimates and foliage to prevent water runoff. These green corridors should be preserved.

13. Trees and hedges: Proposals should be designed to retain ancient, veteran and mature trees (particularly in ancient woodland) or trees or hedgerows or ecological, arboricultural or amenity value and should be accompanied by a tree survey that establishes the health and longevity of any affected trees. Development proposals must not contain an unacceptable loss of, or damage to, existing trees or woodlands or hedges or significant landscaping during or because of development. Where trees must be lost because of development, these must be replaced at a ratio of 2:1 within the site, with a preference for native trees and for fruit and nut trees. The responsible planting of additional trees that reduce or absorb air pollution will be supported.

14. Green and Blue Infrastructure The parish contains a variety of green and blue infrastructure that provides an environmental support system for the community and wildlife. The Neighbourhood Plan designates this as a network for the purpose of promoting nature recovery and for mitigating climate change. The network includes Blackheath SSSI, Colyer’s Hanger SSSI, the River Tillingbourne corridor, ancient woodland, ancient tree sites, chalk grassland and pasture and other land of biodiversity and open space of community value, including amenity green space and Local Green Spaces.

15. The policy defines the presence of Green and Blue Infrastructure assets in the parish. By doing so it has regard to NPPF paragraph 179(a) and 192 and provides local definition to Guildford Local Policies P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 P6, P7 on Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure. Its purpose is linked with the vision and principles outlined in the Nature Wealth Report and Natural Capital Investment Plan for Surrey published by the Hampshire and Surrey Nature Partnership in March 2018 and April 2022 by defining a network of green infrastructure assets in the Neighbourhood Plan area as a means of providing environmental support for the community and wildlife by promoting habitat creation and linkage.

16. The Neighbourhood Plan designates Surrey Wildlife Trust to name locations as a Biodiversity Net Gain offsetting sites. Development proposals that will lead to the extension of the Network will be supported, provided they are consistent with all other relevant policies of the development plan.

17. The allotments in Albury village (see MAP E for their location) make a strong contribution to the parish’s biodiversity and so should be retained and conserved.

18. Newlands Corner has some of the most spectacular views in Surrey and attracts an estimated 550k visitors a year with around 122k vehicles using the site. It has a café, visitors centre and toilets. It also contains some of the oldest yew trees in the Parish, over 1000 years old. In order to protect the trees and biodiversity of Newlands Corner, any development or extension of the current visitors centre which could damage trees, plants or wildlife will be refused unless justified through the policy below.

19. Education The areas of green infrastructure and biodiversity are evolving and will continue to do so during the life of the Neighbourhood Plan. It is therefore vital that a coordinated approach is taken so that community involvement is at the heart of delivering this policy. The parish council is requested to set up a working group with responsibility to review the parish and identify areas of strength and weakness in net zero, climate change, green infrastructure and biodiversity, to remain informed of new developments in these fields that can support introduction and efficiencies and be applied in the parish, to find resources for professional advice funding sources and for these to be communicated to parishioners.

20. This working group could include the resources offered by parishioners who volunteered their services when responding to the Neighbourhood Plan public consultation 2024.

Policy ANP13 – Biodiversity

1. Development proposals must preserve and enhance the parish’s biodiversity, particularly protected species and nationally and locally designated sites, priority habitat, ancient woodland, ancient tree sites, and other local sites through the following measures. Developments that endanger unique habitats or species will be refused

1. Retaining existing wildlife features, corridors and habitat, including hedgerows and trees of value and heritage as they support species, climate and air quality. Where it is robustly demonstrated that trees of ecological, arboricultural and amenity value cannot be retained, they should be replaced on-site at a ratio of at least 2:1 with a preference for native trees and for fruit and nut trees.

2. Priority habitats, priority species and protected species should be retained and not adversely affected.

3. Incorporating new native planting and landscaping that creates new habitats, nesting (e.g. for birds and bats) and foraging opportunities.

   2. New development proposals, unless ‘exempt’ development as set out in the Environment Act 2021), shall achieve a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) of 20% measured by the statutory biodiversity metric against the pre-development biodiversity value of the site. In line with the BNG Mitigation Hierarchy, this should be provided on-site in the first instance with the use of off-site BNG units or statutory credits only accepted where it is robustly demonstrated that there are practical reasons why BNG cannot be achieved on site. A ‘Biodiversity Net Gain Plan’ must be submitted with applications for development on sites over 0.1ha and will be secured by condition.

   3. Development proposals affecting the Local Green Spaces identified on Policy Map MAP E and ANP 11: Local Green Spaces must demonstrate how biodiversity has been conserved and enhanced, in line with the mitigation hierarchy. These sites have been identified as being of special community value and should be protected.

4. The Albury Neighbourhood Plan designates a Green and Blue Infrastructure Network, as shown on MAP Q. Within and adjacent to the Green and Blue Infrastructure Network, habitat creation and linkages will be promoted, including Biodiversity Net Gain offsetting sites. Proposals for development that will cause the loss of or adversely affect the ecological value or function of the land for that purpose will be resisted unless suitable alternative provision can be provided.