What are the key issues that you want the local plan to address, and how?

The global and local effects of the twin climate change and biodiversity crises are becoming increasingly clear. We believe it is therefore imperative that Medway Council does its part to help reverse these trends (and deliver on its enhanced biodiversity duties under the Environment Act) by ensuring that development coming forward under a new Medway Local Plan is located in the most sustainable locations. This means firstly prioritising less harmful locations over sites located close to important areas for biodiversity and, where impacts cannot be avoided, establishing robust and sustainable mitigation strategies to protect designated wildlife sites. It also means taking steps to help restore nature in line with local nature recovery strategies.

In particular, we wish to see the new plan steer housing development away from the Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and establish a robust strategic approach to ensure that the UK’s most important site for breeding nightingales is safeguarded from the damaging urbanisation effects (such as cat predation and recreational disturbance) arising from any essential residential development that cannot be located in less sensitive areas. Such a strategic approach is critical to delivering an effective, sustainable policy for this unique natural asset (for which Medway Council have a particular responsibility to protect), offering clarity for developers and security for Medway Council.

We would also like to see the new plan address increasing residential pressures arising from new housing developments close to important coastal areas for wintering and breeding waterbirds in Medway. Given the significant increase in volume of new housing planned across the Hoo Peninsula, it is particularly important that the plan establishes clear policies to ensure that measures are in place to prevent new residential development from adding to the pressures on these important bird populations. Location of non-residential development in these sensitive locations will also need to be carefully considered in terms of sustainability and impacts of associated transport infrastructure.

Finally, we wish to see the new plan address the need for ecological corridors to connect sites and key populations of declining birds, such as nightingales and farmland birds, and to ensure these corridors are designed based on relevant data and are given robust status in planning.