This EIA is being carried out on:

☐New policy / strategy
☐New service
☐Review of policy / strategy
☐Review of service
☐Commissioning
☒Other project (please give details)Supplementary Planning Document for Open Space

The Biodiversity Net Gain Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) adds further details to the Local
Plan which was adopted on 6ᵗʰ December 2017 and for which EIA was undertaken. SPDs do not introduce
new policy, but provide further detail and guidance to enable the delivery of adopted policies.

The purpose of the Biodiversity Net Gain SPD is to set out the Council’s approach
towards achieving Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) from any new development. BNG is achieved when a
development leads to an overall increase biodiversity relative to the site beforehand The
Biodiversity Net Gain SPD sets out how this can be achieved in Coventry using
established methods. It supplements Policy GE1 (Green Infrastructure), Policy GE3
(Biodiversity, Geological, Landscape and Archaeological Conservation) and Policy DS4 (Part A:
General Masterplan principles) of the adopted Coventry Local Plan.

The additional guidance provided within the SPD aims to provide guidance for developers
on how proposals can demonstrate they have met the requirements of planning policy related to
biodiversity net gain in Coventry. By providing this information upfront Coventry City Council
intends to provide additional clarity in the development process and ensure that
negotiating obligations is based on a clear and consistent approach.

The Local Plan was formulated using detailed evidence including a range of ecological studies and mapping. The Local Plan was independently examined by a Planning Inspector to ensure that its policies were robust and formulated using appropriate evidence before it could be found sound and capable of adoption. Further detail on the Local Plan and the evidence base can be found here
https://www.coventry.gov.uk/localplan

This SPD details how the policy will be delivered, providing clear information for developers about policy requirements: how developers should calculate how much biodiversity they need to deliver, and the appropriate mechanism for doing this.

Impact type

P, N, PN, NI
or ID

Access to open space and nature is a fundamental need for health and wellbeing. Biodiversity is an essential part of any sustainable community. 67% of Coventry City Council’s residents are aged between 16 and 64. Being of working age, these are the largest group likely to be accessing homes on new developments and will directly benefit from the provision of good design which incorporates biodiversity as part of a wider network of open spaces.

Access to open space and nature is a fundamental need for health and wellbeing. Biodiversity is an essential part of any sustainable community. 17.7% of Coventry City Council’s residents have a limiting long term health problem or disability and and will benefit from the provision of good design which incorporates biodiversity as part of a wider network of open spaces.

Individuals will benefit from safe and well designed open space provision which incorporates biodiversity.

Individuals will benefit from safe and well designed open space provision which incorporates biodiversity.

Individuals will benefit from safe and well designed open space provision which incorporates biodiversity. 

Sexual orientation

Individuals will benefit from safe and well designed open space provision which incorporates biodiversity.

2.3a What HIs exist in relation to your work / plan / strategy

2.3b How might your work affect HI (positively or negatively).

How might your work address the needs of different groups that share protected characteristics

Consider and answer below:

• Think about whether outcomes vary across groups and who benefits the most  and least, for example, the outcome for a woman on a low income may be different to the outcome for a woman a high income
• Consider what the unintended consequences of your work might be

Response:

a. Potential outcomes including impact based on socio-economic status or geographical deprivation
The Health Impact Assessment SPD referred to above includes the following:

b. Potential outcomes impact on specific socially excluded or vulnerable groups eg. people experiencing homelessness, prison leavers, young people leaving care, members of the armed forces community.

Ensuring access to a range of suitable open spaces which incorporate biodiversity in relation to new developments will meet a range of needs and circumstances: this is a key aim of the Local Plan housing and green infrastructure policies and the SPD provides the further detail to ensure that those policies can be delivered.

65+

Prefer not to state 

Prefer not to state 

Prefer not to state 

As the appropriate Head of Service for this area, I confirm that the potential equality impact is
as follows:

No impact has been identified for one or more protected groups ☐

Positive impact has been identified for one or more protected groups ☒

Negative impact has been identified for one or more protected groups ☐

Both positive and negative impact has been identified for one or more protected groups ☐