Urban Habitat Action Plan

Urban Habitat Action Plan

Urban HAP Objectives and Targets 2008 - 2013

Actions

(Please note, these actions are DRAFT, and are likely to change in the near future, but they are a good indication of the direction the Urban BAP is heading.)

Policy Planning and legislation

UA1 Ensure that all sites in urban areas with known value for wildlife, and any other sites subsequently identified are suitably designated and protected by statutory plans.

UA2 Ensure that English Nature is consulted when new developments could affect designated sites (SSSI, SAC, SPA), and encourage developers to use green corridors to link up these designated sites, or protect them with buffer zones.

UA3 Meet English Nature recommendations on the provision of accessible natural greenspace and Local Nature Reserves*, and aim to declare two Local Nature Reserves in each borough per year.

*NoteEnglish Nature recommends that people living in towns and cities should have: An accessible natural greenspace less than 300 metres (in a straight line) from home; Statutory Local Nature Reserves provided at a minimum level of 1 ha per 1000 people; At least one accessible 20 ha site within 2 km of home; one accessible 500 ha site within 10 km of home.

UA4 Produce guidance relating to habitat creation and management and species provision for planners and developers. Use Section 106 agreements to mitigate or compensate for any developments likely to have an impact on biodiversity, especially outside designated sites.

UA5 Adopt code of conduct for wildlife safeguard and enhancement.

UA6 Each Local Authority in Surrey should produce its own Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP), which should contain an Urban section.

UA7 Each Local Authority in Surrey should produce its own Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP), which should contain an Urban section.

Private Land (including gardens and corporate green space)

UA7 Raise awareness of the urban HAP and biodiversity issues in the urban environment amongst every organisation and business that has an influence on them, and encourage them to make a contribution

UA8 Encourage the creation, and review the management of corporate greenspace to improve their provision for wildlife e.g. through additional tree and hedge planting in parking areas, provision of nest boxes for house martins on suitable buildings including offices, wildlife-friendly management of grassland etc

UA9 Review management of private golf courses and improve provision for wildlife where feasible.

UA10 Encourage provision for wildlife in gardens through:· Provision of various boxes such as bird and bat boxes· Planting native species· Reducing the application of chemicals· Initiating a county-wide gardening scheme such as Gardening for Life and a possible competition· Provide information for people who enquire / participate in scheme / competition.· Carry out surveys of people who enquire / participate in scheme / competition.· Submission of species records to the Biological Records Centre

UA11 Encourage horticultural / gardening societies to introduce wildlife gardening categories into their competitions, and garden centres to establish model wildlife gardens as examples of best practice.

Public Land (including LA controlled land)

UA12 Produce leaflet about wildlife in town parks and open spaces.

UA13 Encourage all managers of publicly owned land (including that controlled by, or leased from LA’s), whether directly employed by the organisation or a contractor, to manage parks and gardens, playing fields, cemeteries, golf courses, allotments, road verges, farmland, school grounds, hospitals etc. for the benefit of wildlife.

UA14 Assist schools, colleges, hospitals, sheltered housing schemes etc. to incorporate features to encourage wildlife into their grounds, such as special wildlife areas.

Community

UA15 Encourage the use of greenspace:·

• By schools, colleges and universities, adopting them if possible, and encourage students to carry out urban biodiversity research·
• Encouraging younger people to join schemes such as Wildlife Watch clubs·
• Emphasising the value of greenspace / conservation action for physical and mental health.·
• Around hospitals, clinics and hospices for the benefit of users.

UA16 Make available to the public through gardening clubs, societies and therapeutic and community garden centres:· Low cost, locally grown native trees and shrubs, nest boxes, bird feeders, wildflower seeds etc. for use on roadside verges and local green space.· Local composting schemes· Facilities for low cost hire of shredders for domestic garden waste.

UA17 Consider establishing an urban wildlife forum in each district to share best practice

UA18 Seek to identify all sites (and habitats such as old hedgerows, ponds, orchards, community woodlands etc.) of potential value to wildlife and local communities, and encourage community groups to assume responsibility for their management through establishment of ‘friends of’ groups.

UA19 Encourage individuals to initiate surveys of local wildlife sites and species of conservation importance e.g. song thrush, water vole, slow worm etc., and to take part in local or national surveys organised by others.

UA20 Promote community action in habitat management through demonstration and training courses.

UA21 Map all veteran trees, hedgerows, ponds, or road verges of value to wildlife in a given locality.

UA22 Establish and improve sponsorship and grant support of wildlife schemes for community benefit, and set up an urban greenspace grant scheme through the Urban Greenspace Forum.

Corridors

UA23 Review management in urban areas of vegetation lining trunk roads and ecologically important road verges by· Improving provision for wildlife· Implementing a conservation management regime where appropriate· Making guidelines available to protect street trees from pavement and roadworks, and making companies pay for the planting of 2 new trees for each one damaged during these works.

UA24 Review management of line-side vegetation and improve provision for wildlife, where possible in concert with local residents groups.

UA25 Survey wildlife in and alongside canals to get a better idea of their worth as corridors.

UA26 Where possible incorporate crossing points and safety features (such as tunnels and fences) into new and existing roads in order to reduce road kill levels for badgers, toads, otters, hedgehogs etc.