Issue - decisions

Background / Decision Summary:

On 20 May 2025 a decision was made at the Decision Session of the Executive Member for Environment and Climate Emergency to delegate authority to the Head of Strategic Planning Policy to provide written consent to North Yorkshire Council to proceed to public consultation on the draft North Yorkshire and York LNRS.

As confirmed in the Executive Member Decision papers, North Yorkshire and York Councils have worked closely together to produce the LNRS, as both local authority areas share a common landscape and river network that span their respective boundaries. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have appointed North Yorkshire Council (NYC) as “responsible authority” for the strategy and CYC are appointed as the “supporting authority”. In practice this means NYC lead on the production of the strategy. The LNRS was also prepared in partnership with the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Park Authorities and the other organisations in the advisory group.

During summer 2023 the governance for the LNRS was established; this was agreed at CYC Executive in October 2023 with authority delegated to the Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change Emergency to make the necessary decision in relation to development of the LNRS. As part of this governance the Council continues to be a key member of advisory boards (at director officer level), as part of the project team (at officer level) and supporting the advisory topic groups throughout the preparation of the draft LNRS. The Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Climate Emergency has had regular update meetings.

CYC officers have worked closely with North Yorkshire Council on the emerging draft Strategy and give support to the overall format of the Strategy and process of its development. At the point of the EMDS in May 2025, the Council had not received the pre-consultation drafts of the LNRS and associated mapping. This has now been received and has been reviewed by technical officers.

In coming to a decision as to how to respond to the pre-consultation, the LNRS Regulations 2023 state:
(1) A supporting authority that has been provided with a consultation draft of a local nature recovery strategy under regulation 7 may raise an objection with the responsible authority about— (a)the local nature recovery strategy; or (b)the responsible authority’s preparation of the local nature recovery strategy, including the extent to which the responsible authority has involved the supporting authority in that preparation.
(2) An objection under paragraph (1) must— (a)be in writing; (b)give reasons for the objection; and (c)be given before the expiry of 28 days beginning with the day on which the responsible authority provided the supporting authority with the consultation draft of its local nature recovery strategy under regulation 7.

The Regulations are clear that a supporting authority can only object at the pre-consultation stage within 28 days of being notified, and where they object either to the LNRS itself, or to the responsible authority’s preparation of the LNRS. As has been evidenced above CYC has been involved in preparation of the LNRS at all levels and therefore do not intend to raise concern about the overall content of the LNRS or our involvement to date in preparation of the LNRS.

Officers have reviewed the LNRS and associated mapping and have provided feedback to North Yorkshire Council on this. It is not considered that there are any issues significant enough to object to the LNRS proceeding to public consultation.

As such we intend to confirm in writing (see Annex 1 letter) that CYC raises no objection to consultation on the draft LNRS and mapping taking place. This written confirmation must be submitted by 17 June 2025. We will also reserve the right to make comment within the public consultation in relation to detail included within the LNRS.