Comment
Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options
Representation ID: 60514
Received: 13/12/2021
Respondent: Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd
Agent: Turley
The policy wording suggests that there will be a requirement for development to achieve a minimum 20% biodiversity net gain. It is understood that this aspiration has stemmed from the Oxford-Cambridge Arc Environmental Principles and exceeds that in the Environment Act 2021. Whilst Taylor Wimpey are supportive of this approach to provide significant biodiversity improvements through development, this is clearly a high aspiration and it will be important to consider site specific requirements and the overall viability implications of all the Plan requirements considered collectively.
A suggestion to the wording is that this could be phrased as ‘the policy will require development to aim to achieve a 20% biodiversity net gain with a minimum 10% to be achieved’. By amending the wording in this way the onus is clearly on the applicant to meet the 20% wherever possible, but should there be a slight shortcoming (that would still result in an overall high net gain) this would not prevent otherwise acceptable development.
The policy wording suggests that there will be a requirement for development to achieve a minimum 20% biodiversity net gain. It is understood that this aspiration has stemmed from the Oxford-Cambridge Arc Environmental Principles and exceeds that in the Environment Act 2021. Whilst Taylor Wimpey are supportive of this approach to provide significant biodiversity improvements through development, this is clearly a high aspiration and it will be important to consider site specific requirements and the overall viability implications of all the Plan requirements considered collectively.
A suggestion to the wording is that this could be phrased as ‘the policy will require development to aim to achieve a 20% biodiversity net gain with a minimum 10% to be achieved’. By amending the wording in this way the onus is clearly on the applicant to meet the 20% wherever possible, but should there be a slight shortcoming (that would still result in an overall high net gain) this would not prevent otherwise acceptable development.