This report seeks authority from the Director of Planning and Regeneration for the Council to enter into a legal agreement with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIOWWT) and the Isle of Wight Council (IOWC) in respect of land at Little Duxmore Farm on the Isle of Wight.
In February last year, Natural England updated its advice to local councils to reflect recent European case law and now recommends an Appropriate Assessment is undertaken within the Borough of Fareham for every application for new dwellings.
Natural England has highlighted that increased levels of nitrates entering the Solent (because of increased amounts of wastewater from new dwellings) is likely to have a significant effect upon European Protected Sites (EPS).
Where developers are not able to demonstrate that their proposals maintain or reduce the levels of nitrates leaving their site, mitigation measures need to be identified. The majority of residential planning applications will need to mitigate for increased levels of nitrates entering The Solent; in most instances’ developers are unable to provide this mitigation on their development site.
HIOWWT are bringing forward land at Little Duxmore Farm on the Isle of Wight for the purposes of wildlife enhancements. The opportunity also exists to use the same land as mitigation for nitrates arising from new residential development within the catchment area.
Authority is sought from the Director of Planning and Regeneration for the Council to enter into a legal agreement with HIOWWT and IOWC, to secure nitrate mitigation at Duxmore Farm in connection with residential planning permissions granted within the Borough of Fareham.
Decision type: Key
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Notice of proposed decision first published: 09/07/2020
This decision will be taken under urgency procedures.
Reason for urgency:
The circumstances for the urgency are related to the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to support the economic recovery, particularly for the viability of small local development companies, once the current pandemic response support schemes, such as the Government's furlough scheme have been removed. Government has identified the need to encourage development to enable housebuilding to continue in the face of economic downturn.
Decision due: 17 Jul 2020 by Director of Planning and Regeneration
Lead director: Director of Planning and Regeneration
Contact: Lee Smith Email: lsmith@fareham.gov.uk.