Welsh Government have made changes to Planning Policy Wales (PPW) to address the nature emergency by revising Chapter 6 ‘Distinctive and Natural Placemaking and Well-Being’. These changes impacts on all planning applications. The main policy changes relate to:
- Green Infrastructure
- Net Benefit for Biodiversity and the Step Wise Approach
- Protection for Sites of Special Scientific Interest
- Trees and Woodlands
Planning Policy Wales (PPW) Edition 12, February 2024 can be viewed on the Welsh Governments website – Planning Policy Wales – Edition 12 (gov.wales).
One key change is the requirement for all planning applications to be submitted with a ‘Green Infrastructure Statement’ (paragraph 6.2.12 of PPW) which should describe how green infrastructure has been incorporated into the proposal.
All development must deliver a net benefit for biodiversity and ecosystem resilience from the baseline state (proportionate to the scale and nature of the development proposed). There is a requirement to look for and secure enhancement through the design and implementation of the development, even if the resulting development would maintain the biodiversity value of the site.
Applicants should not carry out any pre‑emptive site clearance works before submitting a planning application as this can make it more difficult for a development proposal to secure a net benefit for biodiversity.
What detail is required in the Green Infrastructure Statement (GIS)?
The statement should be proportionate to the scale and nature of the proposed development, for example on householder and minor developments this would normally be a short description.
Eryri National Park Authority has provided further guidance and a form which can be used for smaller scale and householder developments to assist in providing the information that is required:
The Green Infrastructure Statement should describe what impact may occur to identified biodiversity, habitats and green infrastructure networks that are already on site as a result of proposed development and must demonstrate how the ‘Step-wise Approach’ has been applied. More detail on this is explained in PPW section 6.4.11 – 6.4.16.
PPW summarises the step-wise approach in the link below
Summary of the step-wise approach
(Figure 12 of PPW -https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2024-02/planning-policy-wales-edition-12_1.pdf)
When should the Green Infrastructure Statement be written?
A Green Infrastructure Statement should be created in the early stages of a development to set out the principles that will guide the layout across the whole site, including landscaping, ecology and any required mitigation. Eryri National Park Authority strongly recommends that applicants use the Pre-application Advice service before submitting a planning application and recommend a draft Green Infrastructure Statement is included (particularly with larger developments) when seeking pre-application advice.
It is not appropriate for the Authority to seek this information ‘retrospectively’ by way of a condition, therefore it must be provided as part of the planning application process.
Examples of how to incorporate Green Infrastructure
There are multiple ways to incorporate both Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Enhancement to ensure net benefit to a site and it is important that this is considered in the early stages of development. For example:
Individual design measures -landscaping (e.g. wildflower & pollinator planting, hedgerow planting, tree planting)
- grass verges
- sustainable drainage and gardens
- bird boxes
- bat boxes/access points
- ponds
- bee/insect bricks
- hedgehog box/access
Wider landscape measures –
- creation of species rich meadows or woodlands
- improvement of linkages between areas of biodiversity value
The measures should be site specific to add meaningful enhancement to the site.
Further details on biodiversity enhancement can be found here.