Agenda item

At an LDF Working Group in March 2008, Members agreed a report which set out the proposed approach to the Natural Environment and Green Infrastructure through LDF. The purpose of this report is to update Members on the progress so far and to request they approve the work undertaken to date.

Members considered a report which set out the current local position in terms of national, regional and sub-regional context including the work undertaken with Natural England, relevant local evidence base and how Green Infrastructure is addressed through the Local Development Framework (LDF).

Green Infrastructure relates to all green assets. It is the physical environment within and between our cities, towns and villages. It is a network of multifunctional open spaces including formal parks, gardens, woodlands, green corridors, waterways, street trees, nature reserves  and open countryside. The Green Infrastructure of York is a key priority for the LDF process and work has continued towards ensuring that it is embedded within the Core Strategy along with the production of a Green Infrastructure Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). Officers updated that work has continued with Natural England and with adjacent Local Authorities to map Green Corridors and that the next stage will be to establish a hierarchy of corridors, at regional, district and local level.

Members discussed and raised various concerns about the Green Infrastructure work to date, to which Officers responded.

• A Member expressed concern that instead of concluding the work on Green Corridors, the report seemed to be pushing the conclusion of the work further into the future. Officers explained that the work on  Green Infrastructure is work in progress and due to the number of different strands to it, such as the cycle network and biodiversity audit, it is a fluid process and it is not the intention to put it off.
• A Member expressed concern over the wording in paragraph 29 of the officers report which states ‘green infrastructure work is not about applying restrictions to future development’. The Member felt that the point of Green Infrastructure work, in particular Green Corridors, is to improve the quality of life in the City and where appropriate, form a constraint on future developments. Officers advised that they would expect the Green Infrastructure to be used as tool in urban planning and that the Council already had in place, strong existing policies for protecting open space green wedges and other forms of green infrastructure.
• Members commented that the Natural England approach, using a function matrix was missing green sites within built up areas such as tree lined corridors and rail corridors and that such sites should be included. It was also recognised that the function matrix should be amended to reflect the weighting of different functions such as nationally important nature conservation sites, and functional flood plans. Members identified sites within their Wards such as Acomb Wood and Badger Hill field, which had been missed. Members suggested that the next stage in the process should be to use local knowledge by holding a consultation with Ward Members to ensure such sites are not missed out.

RESOLVED:

(i)     A consultation with Ward Members to be undertaken by Officers to identify local green corridors in order to bring the consideration of local green corridors to a conclusion.    

(ii)   That the production of the Green Infrastructure Supplementary Planning Document be aligned with the production of the Core Strategy to be referred back to the LDF Working Group.

(iii)That the natural England function matrix should be amended to reflect the weighting of different functions and that the additional areas as identified by members such as railway land and tree lined corridors be included.

REASON: So that further work can be progressed to support the emerging Core Strategy and wider LDF.