Issue - meetings

Portfolio Holder – Councillor Carole Jones

Suffolk County Council (SCC), in collaboration with others, is preparing a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (‘LNRS’) for Suffolk, as required under the Environment Act 2021. The aim of the LNRS is to halt the depletion of nature and support its recovery.  The Suffolk LNRS:

·       Identifies species and habitat priorities for nature recovery;

·       Maps the most valuable areas for nature that currently exist; and

·       Maps specific proposals for creating or improving habitat for nature, which also contribute to wider environmental goals.

It will also support the planning process by identifying where to focus off-site provision of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) linked to development proposals.

Regulation 7 of the Environment (Local Nature Recovery Strategies) (Procedure) Regulations 2023 requires Suffolk County Council (the ‘responsible authority’) to consult Ipswich Borough Council as a ‘supporting authority’ before it may consult the public about the Suffolk LNRS. Ipswich Borough Council has the right to object to the consultation being made public should there be elements of the Suffolk LNRS content or preparation process that are not supported.

The Suffolk LNRS is included at Appendix 1 and the suggested response – to not raise formal objection and to support public consultation taking place - is at Appendix 2.

The regulations require Ipswich Borough Council to make a formal response within 28 days of receipt of the Suffolk LNRS. The formal consultation period for supporting authorities runs from 15 January to 11 February 2025. The timings of the sharing of the draft Suffolk LNRS and the regulatory consultation period means that the Executive’s decision will need to be submitted to SCC on the same day as the meeting. Therefore, this report seeks approval for the submission of the Council’s formal response to the Suffolk LNRS on 11 February following the Executive meeting and to certify the decision as exempt from call-in in order to meet the regulatory deadline.

93.1.     Councillor Jones introduced the report, noting that the document’s purpose was to map Suffolk and identify key habitats and species to allow the planning system to work to protect these. The Council was required to make comments in response to the consultation and the response stressed the importance of green spaces in Ipswich.

93.2.     Councillor Fisher noted that the Council had the right to object to the consultation being made public and asked for more information about this. The Head of Planning, James Mann, reported that the regulations would require Suffolk County Council to resolve any objections from Ipswich Borough Council before progressing its consultation but noted that there was no intention to lodge an objection.

It was RESOLVED:

a)             that Executive approves the submission to Suffolk County Council of Ipswich Borough Council’s formal response, set out in Appendix 2 to this report, supporting the pre-consultation draft of the Suffolk Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

b)             that Executive certifies this decision as urgent and exempt from call-in. 

Reason: To meet the regulatory requirements and timescales relating to the preparation of Local Nature Recovery Strategies.