Trust demands action to save South Staffordshire wildlife over the next 20 years

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has outlined what needs to be done by contributing comments to South Staffordshire Council’s new Local Plan.

The trust has described new green infrastructure proposed alongside four strategic housing sites as a positive step, but it may not be large enough and does not cover the housing sites proposed in the plan.

Kate Dewey, The trust’s senior planning officer, said: “In addition to the climate emergency, we are facing a nature crisis, with many wild species facing huge declines or even extinction due to threats to their habitats and habitat isolation. We also know that now more than ever we need nature - for our mental and physical well-being and to tackle threats like flooding, heatwaves and air pollution that we are seeing much more of.

“We’re keen to continue working with South Staffordshire Council to integrate nature’s recovery more fully within the Local Plan and across all policy areas.

“We are currently engaging with a number of local authorities around the county to encourage them to adopt a motion for nature's recovery and next year we hope to get South Staffordshire Council on board with this too. The benefits will go further than helping wildlife - making places more beautiful and healthy to live, storing carbon and supporting landowners as well.”

The trust believes key wildlife corridors should be identified, protected and enhanced through policies and as part of site allocation choices. The trust is currently working with partners, including the National Trust and Natural England, on a habitat project to link heathlands at Kinver Edge SSSI with Highgate Common SSSI. This and other large-scale initiatives could be supported by the local plan.

The plan also does not yet consider a Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which will be mandatory as part of the Environment Bill, or a Green Infrastructure Strategy, which would help ensure green assets are delivered strategically for multiple benefits. Planning for the ‘bigger picture’ would ensure that environmental limits are considered, rather than being driven by the existing built environment.

The trust welcomes the plan's commitment to compensating for any greenbelt loss but wants to see 30 per cent of land protected for nature’s recovery, beyond just preserving the status quo.

Conservationists also believe a ‘Wildbelt’ as a new designation would join up scattered habitats and make sure the countryside on our doorstep is wild, as well as green.

The trust’s full response to the South Staffordshire Local Plan Consultation can be read at www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/what-we-do/planning-advice.