To receive an update on the Biodiversity Paper.

James Thorpe, Sustainability and Climate Service Lead, gave a verbal update regarding the draft Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). Based on the last meeting where the BAP was presented, he stated that it was clear that improvements were necessary, and he took the feedback from the last meeting to make some changes to the BAP. He accepted that there was a lack of engagement from the farming community.

James Thorpe then went through the changes to the BAP. One substantial change to the BAP in the Farmland Habitat Action Plan was that all actions in the plan were removed and replaced with one new action: to work jointly and in partnership with the Rural Forum and other key stakeholders in the Borough to develop a Farmland Habitat Action Plan that was suitable and fit for purpose as well as ambitious, deliverable and exciting.

(Councillor Cannon had entered the meeting at 5:43pm; Councillor Brar also entered the meeting virtually)

Regarding criticism by the Forum in which the data throughout the original draft BAP was scattered, the new draft BAP had an appendix at the end where the data was consolidated.

The language in the new draft BAP was altered to make it more inclusive and inspiring. Case studies were also added under each habitat action plan to provide examples of results.

James Thorpe also mentioned that he and Jason Mills, Natural Environment Manager, had made a commitment for either one or both of them to attend future Rural Forum meetings to update the Forum on the BAP.

James Thorpe also informed that the formatting had been improved to make it clearer and engaging. Further changes to the format and design would be made to the BAP if approved by Cabinet in the following month.

Geoffrey Copas made some comments regarding the new draft BAP. He criticised the document as not being public friendly due to its length. He also criticised that the draft BAP appeared to be created in collaboration with conservation groups, stating that most of the land was owned and managed by farmers. Geoffrey Copas also criticised the statistics on the land, such as the objective for 30% of the Borough land to be reserved for nature while the draft BAP stated that woodland represented 33% of the land. He also criticised that the document did not include any mention of DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) funding to farmers. Geoffrey Copas concluded that the new draft BAP was disappointing.

The Chairman suggested that Geoffrey Copas could forward his comments on the draft BAP so that a more substantial response could be given.

James Thorpe responded to some of Geoffrey Copas’s comments. He stated that page numbers could be added to the BAP. Regarding DEFRA funding, he stated that the farms in stewardship schemes were included in the ‘30 by 30’ section of the draft BAP; and if this and the DEFRA policy changed, he would update the Forum. He stated he could answer the comments further after the meeting.

Alan Keene stated he welcomed the new draft BAP as an improvement compared to the old one. He stated the sections on farming were clearer and was appreciative with the addition of case studies.

Commenting that the BAP was delayed by 2 years in being adopted, Councillor Baldwin stated that he was concerned with the removal of Farmland Habitat Action Plan and that this would be discussed in 2023. He asked how this would affect planning decisions in upcoming Planning meetings. James Thorpe replied that the Planning Team would have the answer regarding how the absence of Farmland Habitat Action Plan would affect Planning meetings. Regarding the delay, he stated it was not a sustainable position to retain the original BAP and that it was important for farmers to be bought into the plan. He also stated that tackling the biodiversity crisis was a long-term task and that he would be working with the Rural Forum.

Councillor Baldwin followed up by asking about what the mechanism would be in which residents and Councillors would be updated on the actions in the BAP. James Thorpe replied that he and Jason Mills would be attending future Rural Forum meetings in which they would report back on the progress of the actions in the BAP. Councillor Baldwin replied that updating with interim measures in the BAP during Rural Forum meeting was insufficient. James Thorpe responded that he would respond when appropriate across the whole BAP in terms of the implementation. He explained that once approved by Cabinet, an implementation plan would be developed in 2023, and therefore update residents. James Thorpe also stated that he would update residents when appropriate, and he believed that Rural Forum was a good opportunity to consult with farmers.

Vice-Chairman William Emmett stated he would be happy to keep James Thorpe updated on the improvements on biodiversity within the Borough during the interim of Rural Forum meetings, especially as there were some changes on the environmental schemes.

Councillor Hunt believed that the new BAP was an improvement and appreciated the work done by the officers. She requested that officers report back to the Rural Forum on any changes in the BAP.

(Councillor Clark entered the meeting virtually at 6:06pm)

Councillor Stimson expressed appreciation for the work that officers had been doing to improve the draft BAP, arguing that it was better for the BAP to be implemented late but right rather than on time but wrong.

Geoffrey Copas stated that he asked a while ago for the tree officer to visit his farm to observe the tree planting that had taken place across his farmland. He also asked if farmers had read the entirety of the draft BAP. Andrew Durrant replied that he would look into arranging a visit to Geoffrey Copas’s farm. The Chairman asked the farmers of the Forum if they had read the entirety of draft BAP, to which the Forum confirmed.

Councillor Baldwin stated he was concerned about Rural Forum members sharing their insights with officers outside of the meeting as well as believing the Forum had seemingly become the “de facto arena” to discuss segments of the BAP. He asked what mechanism were in place to ensure any changes were shared with other Councillors.

James Thorpe replied that he and his team had consultations and worked with a variety people and stakeholders across the Borough, such as the various Wilds groups and the Rural Forum. He stated he and his team would continue to reflect a broad interest of people.

The Chairman concluded that the draft BAP would be forwarded to Cabinet in December 2022.