Agenda item

Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area Joint Strategic Partnership Board, Income And Spending

To receive information in respect of the operation of the Joint Strategic Partnership Board serving the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area and its income and spending arrangements.

Minutes:

The Panel considered a report about the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA), which covered parts of Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, with particular reference to the spending of money to mitigate the impact that development may have on it.

 

The SPA was protected by international law, as well as EU legislation and planning policy, as it was a rare example of lowland heath which was home to three important bird species that nest and breed there.  This required the Council to ascertain that any development in Bracknell Forest (and likewise the 11 other local authorities which had part of the SPA within their boundaries) would not result in harm to the integrity of the SPA.  Relevant planning applications were subject to an assessment which could determine that avoidance or mitigation measures were required.  The Council’s policy set out a two-pronged strategy to mitigate the impact of residential development within a zone extending between 400 metres and up to 7 kilometres from the edge of the SPA by:

  • Provision of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspaces (SANGs), new or upgraded existing open space to divert recreation activity away from the designated SPA.
  • Payment of Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM) contributions – financial contributions paid by developers to Natural England which were spent on matters such as wardening the SPA and monitoring the SPA Strategy across the region.

 

The Council had facilitated some residential development by providing access to its own SANGs.  A development needed to be within a specific distance of a SANG in order to use it for mitigation.  Strategic SANGs were open space land, owned or managed by the Council, where developers paid financial contributions towards their enhancement and long term management.  There were also bespoke SANGs which were new open spaces provided mostly by large developments where the developer upgraded part of the land to SANG status, usually transferring it to Council ownership with maintenance sums to guarantee its long term future.

 

The report described how the funds were collected for the maintenance of the Strategic SANGs, of which there were six located across the Borough, with two further to come forward in the next two to three years.  Each Strategic SANG had a Management Plan, agreed with Natural England, covering works to enhance the land and such measures as new footpaths, planting, signage, interpretation boards and bins.  The mitigation amounts collected were divided into four funds: open space enhancements; in perpetuity maintenance; administration and education; and facilitation; which were managed by the officers and overseen by Executive Members.  Details of the amounts in each fund and the spending carried out were contained in the report.

 

All developments made financial contributions towards SAMM measures which were calculated on a per bedroom basis and secured in S106 agreements.  The contributions received by the Council were transferred to Hampshire County Council to spend in accordance with the agreement between Natural England and the local authorities affected by the SPA.  The project was overseen by a Joint Strategic Partnership Board, a cross-authority group; Councillor Turrell was the Council’s elected representative on the Board.

 

The Panel noted the report, following answers to questions to clarify a number of points.

Supporting documents:

 

Contact Information

Democratic services

Email: committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk