Standing up for nature in November
By Laura Brook
Conservation Officer
November will see our two Conservation Officers attending the Examinations in Public for the Brighton and Hove City Plan Part 2 and Worthing Local Plan. These Local Plans set out the strategic direction and location for development in their respective areas for periods of up to 15 years. With the climate and ecological emergency happening on our doorstep, it is more important than ever for Sussex Wildlife Trust to be a voice for wildlife, challenging choices and making sure that biodiversity is truly at the heart of the decision-making process.
Both Examinations in Public will involve a Planning Inspector considering the Local Plans and determining if they are ‘sound’ - meaning are they positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy. Although Sussex Wildlife Trust is not required to respond to these plans, we recognise the impacts they can have on wildlife now and in the future. We know this really matters to our members and with the urgent need to recover wildlife, we can’t afford to let damaging decisions go unchallenged.
For Sussex Wildlife Trust, these Examinations are the culmination of a lengthy process over many years of Local Plan creation. We question the suitability of evidence, question the ability of our natural environment to absorb the quantities of development imposed by government and seek to drive up standards of information used to determine sustainable locations for development. We use biodiversity information, tools and professional knowledge to try and ensure that proposed allocations in the most sensitive locations never make it to the planning application stage, and that any locations that do go forward as allocations are supported by robust policies that highlight that biodiversity must be protected and created.
The Worthing Local Plan Examination in Public is returning to a face-to-face format and will be happening at Field Place in Worthing. However, the Brighton City Plan Part Examination in Public is being held online and can be viewed live on Brighton and Hove City Council’s YouTube Channel BHCC Democracy - YouTube.