Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services covering:-

  i.  Draft Biodiversity Net Gain

  ii.  New Residential Buildings Design Guide

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities introduced the item.

The Scrutiny Board considered a Briefing Note and presentation which outlined the consultation on i) Draft Biodiversity Net Gain Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) ii) New Residential Buildings Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) introduced by the Cabinet Member. Officers were looking to identify more sites in the City with significant biodiversity and a report will go back to the Cabinet Member meeting.

Issues covered in the presentation included:-

·  The definition of an SPD

·  A summary of biodiversity net gain (BNG) which was introduced in the Environment Act 2021.

·  The biodiversity value of sites would be established using a recognised metric.

·  Enhancement should be provided on-site but where this is was impracticable off-site projects were required.

·  The SPD provided details of how the Council would require all developments to deliver BNG

·  Contributions for off-site projects would be used to directly benefit Coventry sites

·  An increasing network of suitable sites was being established within the city

·  Sites would be managed for a minimum of 30 years and would be accessible to the public

·  If the BNG mechanism and network of sites was not agreed future resources were likely to be lost to Coventry

·  Design Guidance for New Residential Developments was outlined and superseded the 1991 residential design guide.

·  It brought together where applicable principles of design guidance for Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE) sites and the Ancient Arden Design Guidance, in order to deliver consistent standard of design guidance across the city for new residential proposals.

·  It would introduce a requirement for applicants of schemes over 50 units to articulate the design process to embed and ensure contextual responsiveness

·  Example key themes included:

o  Bringing into residential policy an expectation to meet national space standards throughout

o  The introduction of an expectation of private external amenity space provision in new build apartment schemes where possible.

o  The introduction of new principles of delivering positive frontages to waterways and green space.

o  Provided guidance in the accommodation of cycle and refuse/recycling storage in new build development.

The Scrutiny Board asked questions and received responses on a number of issues, including:-

·  The onsite delivery of BNG was the preference. However, if this could not be delivered on site, the development of a biodiversity plan would give the City Council control as to where the offset was delivered. It was important to get the plan in place as one of the proposals within the Environment Act was that biodiversity credits could be spent anywhere across the Country.

·  BNG mechanism seeks to ensure not an overall lost of wildlife from Coventry or Warwickshire. There was an intention to use upcoming legislation and an incoming local nature recovery strategy to create a new green infrastructure for Coventry which provides sites across the whole of the City.

·  It was suggested that Councillors and members of the public be encourage to record with Warwickshire Records office what biodiversity there is in the City. There could also be a call out of potential biodiversity sites.

·  Green routes and walls could contribute to the biodiversity figures.

·  The wording of some of the principles in the Design Guidance for New Residential Development SPD had been amended at the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities meeting.

·  Concerns were raised that some of the wording in the principles was ambiguous and would enable developers to minimise their contributions. Members asked that it was made clear that full details in relation to some of the principles were available in other documents.

·  The ratio of open space to development was covered in the Open Spaces SPD.

RESOLVED that the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4)

1) Considered the presentation at Appendix 1

2) Considered the draft SPDs at Appendix 2 and

3) Identified the following comments for inclusion with the consultation responses:

 -  Biodiversity Net Gain

·  Green space should be maximised within developments

·  The public and Councillors should be encouraged and enabled to report areas and pockets of biodiversity are in the City.

·  Developers should be encouraged to protect biodiversity on development sites where possible

·  Green walls and green roofs should be considered as options to increase biodiversity in areas where there is limited floor space

New Residential Buildings Design Guide

·  On Principle 6 – ensure that housing need in an area, in terms of size of properties, is also taken into account rather than “highest density possible”

·  On Principle 6 – “generous green infrastructure” needs to be cross-referenced to the green space SPD so it is clear what is required.

·  On Principle 7 – this needs to be more specific and clarify that mix of uses means including local centres in large developments