Cheshire East and Biodiversity

Meadowland (Getty)

Consultation launched on Cheshire East Council's biodiversity plan

Cheshire East Council is inviting comments on a planning document that would provide further advice to developers and property owners on how they can improve the environment when preparing planning applications.

The draft Biodiversity Net Gain Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) has been published for consultation. If adopted, it will provide additional guidance on policies of the Local Plan Strategy, which sets out the strategy and requirements for development across the borough.

Biodiversity net gain is the term used to ensure that when new development impacts on a habitat orecology of a site, that developers provide more and better habitat as a replacement.

An SPD is not part of the statutory development plan, but it is a recognised way of putting in place more guidance that can help the council to decide planning applications. In this instance, the SPD will help the council to achieve improvements to the environment by setting out a clear process that applicants should follow.

Councillor Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council's environment and communities committee, said: "Policies in our Local Plan require that development improves and enhances the environment. This includes the natural environment.

"Providing clear guidance on what this means and what is expected will help developers and property-owners understand what we are looking for in planning applications. It will also help us to decide if the proposals have got things right and improve how we reach planning decisions related to the environment.

"If adopted, this document would form an important part of the guidance that helps the council secure improvements to the environment across the borough."

Comments on the document are invited until Monday 14 June.

To view the documents and to have your say, visit the consultation portal here.

Feedback can also be posted to: Strategic planning (Westfields), c/o Municipal Buildings, Earle Street, Crewe CW1 2BJ.