Decision details

To submit Cheltenham Borough Council’s response to the Gloucestershire Local Nature Recovery Strategy public consultation stage.

England is considered one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world following historic and ongoing declines (see State of Nature report 2023). The government has made legally binding commitments to end these declines and for nature to recover it will require targeted, coordinated, and collaborative action. One of those commitments is the creation of Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) covering the whole of England with no gaps or overlaps.

LNRS' purpose is to provide local maps of key habitats and set priorities for recovery. Gloucestershire County Council is one of the 48 Responsible Authorities across England to lead on preparing a LNRS, delivering this through the Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership (GLNP). Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) is part of this partnership and a Supporting Authority of the process.

Gloucestershire LNRS is subject to public consultation between 8th September 2025 and 19th October 2025, and CBC have been invited to make a response.

The draft LNR sets biodiversity priorities for our area, providing measures for habitats and species that will serve as up-to-date evidence base for both the emerging Strategic and Local Plan (SLP), the emerging Nature Recovery Supplementary Planning Document, emerging Tree Strategy as well as having the potential to being a material consideration for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and nature recovery decisions.

This is a technical officer response to the consultation and therefore subject to an Officer Decision. Cabinet or Full Council approval will be required later this year or early 2026 to provide comments, raise concerns, and agree to proceed with publication of the, once the post-public consultation process is completed by the County Council.

Our biodiversity duty sets that we need to proactively pursue actions with the potential to conserve and enhance biodiversity. In accordance with the Environment Act 2021, Cheltenham Borough Council is a Supporting Authority on the LNRS process.

Not providing a timely response will mean Gloucestershire County Council could decide on the LNRS without our local input as a form of affirmative silence.

CBC officers from planning policy, development management, climate, greenspace and trees teams have been working collaboratively with GLNP for several months providing feedback on maps and measures to design the LNRS.

Nicola Hillary, Partnership Manager of Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership presented at Planning Liaison Member Working Group (PLMWG) during 2025 where Cabinet Member and other elected members had the opportunity to provide comments on the same topics.

The draft LNRS now in public consultation positively addressed our local comments related to policy prioritization, flexibility in verge and tree management to suit urban contexts, and a balanced approach to native and non-native species. Our comments also addressed the delivery of woodland creation, wildlife corridors, and canopy cover targets, especially in smaller developments. We also suggested improvements to sustainable drainage strategies, garden biodiversity guidance, and to include soil sampling.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Buildings Control has been kept informed of progress.