Planning changes to your property? Help protect wildlife and nature in the process
It’s three months until the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference opens on November 30.
One of the four “paradigm shifts” the event is looking to influence is ‘Putting nature, people, lives, and livelihoods at the heart of climate action’.
Marking the countdown to the conference today, Councillor Liz Loughran, chair of the Planning Committee, highlighted how homeowners can make a real difference to protecting wildlife and nature.
Plan to protect wildlife and nature
“For homeowners in the city, one very practical way we can all do that is by considering nature and biodiversity when planning changes to our property.”
“Alterations and building work give opportunities to build-in features that will help wildlife to thrive in future, whether that’s simply some new planting or including measures like bee or swift bricks.
“Some wildlife species are protected by law and there’s a legal duty to consider how development affects them when making a planning application. For example, bats roosting in nearby woodland or birds nesting in trees may be impacted by your development.
“To help you plan your project so it will protect our wildlife, our planning requirements now mean that you must submit a Biodiversity Checklist with your planning application.”
Easy-to-use Online Wildlife Assessment Check
The easy-to-use checklist, also known as a Wildlife Assessment Check, can be completed through our website. It’s been designed for householders to be able to complete themselves but can also be filled in by your architect or planning agent, if you are using one.
The checklist needs to be submitted for certain types of householder planning applications, such as an extension to your home or for a loft conversion. Full planning applications that pay the householder fee, such as those submitted by individual flats, should also submit this check.
Where the checklist isn’t submitted or fully completed the planning application process gets delayed.
More information about the checklist, when you need to provide it, and how your building project can help protect wildlife and biodiversity in the city can be found on our Planning Application forms webpage.
