Support

Representation ID: 4593

Received: 08/08/2025

Respondent: Ms Bridget Fox (Woodland Trust)

We generally support this policy in particular the wording recognising Ancient Woodland as an irreplaceable habitat and the integration with the emerging Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

We recommend setting a 20% BNG target where appropriate, eg for strategic and/or greenfield sites. By setting a more ambitious target, the Local Plan increases the chances that an average net gain of at least 10% will be delivered across the Medway area, given the possibility that some sites may not be able to deliver net gain onsite or that BNG projects may fall short in practice.