Management of our own estate
To meet the NERC Act (2006) requirements, the main biodiversity aim of this strand is to improve the management for biodiversity of land and buildings owned by WCC.
Context
The Council owns and manages a varied estate including buildings, roads, smallholdings and country parks. Some of these are dedicated to biodiversity whilst others are schools or care homes. All have a place for biodiversity.
Some species are protected by European and UK Law and need to be considered in all council operations. This could be bats during cavity wall installation or tree works; and otter habitat in brook re-alignment works. Before any work begins protected species and/or habitats must be considered.
Examples
- Country Parks manage large area of land for biodiversity.
- Eco Schools is a national programme implemented at local level to increase environmental protection in schools.
- The Rural Estates department owns over 60 smallholdings – these have been surveyed to assess their wildlife importance and encourage best management practices.
- All council buildings have features that biodiversity will use – such as gardens or grounds, ledges for mosses and ferns, stonework for lichens or cavities for bats or birds. These features should be protected.
- All new council buildings should conform to a recognised environmental standard that has a biodiversity element, such as BREEAM. All new acquisitions should assess biodiversity interests of the site and have a biodiversity management statement to protect and enhance these features.
Best practice case studies
Please contact the team for a copy of:
‘Case Study 1: Myton Pools habitat management’
‘Case Study 2: Wildflowers along Barford Bypass’