Breadcrumbs
Planning
Natural England is represented on a number of regional bodies including the Regional Assembly Environment Partnership and Sustainability West Midlands and provides consultation responses to a wide range of regional plans and strategies.
Part of our strategy involves working with a number of dedicated Local Authorities that face rural challenges and to assist them with their policy development. One way in which we have done this is to engage in a number of demonstration projects looking at new initiatives in planning policy and delivery. Within the West Midlands we have worked with:
Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council
This project looked at the process of Landscape Character Assessment as a means of informing the allocation of housing and industrial land that will meet the needs of the community, while minimalising the visual impact on the landscape. The project assessed the character of the landscape and produced guidance on how development should be accommodated and where it will be most suitable. The aim of the project was to demonstrate that this approach can successfully help the Planning Authority to accommodate development needs, while producing a better standard of development and protecting the visual quality of the Borough.
Lichfield Local Strategic Partnership (LSP)
This project looked at the links between the Community Strategy produced by Lichfield LSP and an early example of the Local Development Framework concept proposed in the Government’s anticipated Planning Bill. It particularly examined the development of a vision and policies for rural areas, the community planning process, and the part Parish Plans can play under the new arrangements.
