PLANNING
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Planning


Welcome to our planning pages, dedicated to making the most of opportunities for wildlife through mineral planning. The pages are relevant to all stages of the planning process, both within the formal planning system, and outside it. 
 
Strategic mineral planning is key to achieving high quality habitat in the right locations, and balancing the needs of biodiversity with other important end-uses. The evolving Mineral Development Frameworks are an exciting new opportunity to focus efforts in a joined up way.
 


Over 350 delegates at regional Nature After Minerals events across England in 2007/8 generated the content of these pages through feedback in workshops and plenary sessions. Each of the nine events focussed on opportunities in the new Mineral Development Frameworks in particular, though most of the ideas collated are relevant more generally as well. These events and web pages were made possible thanks to Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, managed by Natural England.

Throughout the regional ‘tour’, a number of points kept re-appearing as best-practice: 

  1. Engage with stakeholders and community early and keep engagement going. This could include local communities, landowners, NGOs, airfield operators, Natural England and Environment Agency.
  2. Take a strategic landscape-scale approach.
  3. Consider the long-term from the beginning of the process.
  4. Consider financial solutions early on.
  5. Monitoring.


Numerous factors act to prevent successful habitat creation on mineral sites, and these were the subject of brainstorming sessions at every event. Potential solutions to overcoming these blocks were suggested by delegates in plenary sessions at each event. These ideas have been collated to provide a set of solutions – both for overcoming the blocks through Mineral Development Frameworks, and more generally.  

Workshop Outputs: Common blocks and the Solutions to integrating biodiversity into Mineral Development Frameworks (MDFs) - Learn more about the most common blocks and how to overcome them...