RHONDDA CYNON TAF ACTION FOR NATURE PLAN
These actions focus on how we can protect sites that are important for wildlife. The basic unit of biodiversity conservation is habitat so we need to protect ‘priority’ habitats and rich habitat mosaics. But our biodiversity richness co-exists with lots of people, and our history of human activity and habitat is intertwined. Statutory (national and international) and local site protection has a crucial role.
1.
Protect the existing important wildlife sites
Encourage NRW to progress SSSI designation for sites in the pipeline. Support initiatives to raise the profile of Nationally important but undesignated sites.
2.
Planning Delivery and SINC designation
Ensure appropriate policy and supplementary planning guidance for biodiversity is included in the review Local Development Plan for RCT. Designate as 'Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation' all sites that satisfy SINC selection criteria. Promote the implementation and enforcement of pollicy and guidance.
3.
Seek engagement with Welsh Government agri-environment scheme
Attempt to ensure that local biodiversity context is considered in national prescriptions and that the opportunities provided by the South Central NRW Area Statement are taken forward.
4.
Promote the enforcement of legislation
Encourage the statutory bodies to enforce legislation and regulations for species protection, Environmental Impact Assessment etc.
5.
Promote Ecosystem Resilience
Engage with NRW and the Area Statement to develop our local understanding of Ecosystem Resilience, based on the diversity, extent, condition and connectivity of habitats. Develop RCT Ecosystem Profiles for peatlands, grasslands, freshwater, woodland, the Valleys and urban ecosystems. Through the Living Landscapes project, develop a practical demonstration.
RCT Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs)
Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs) are planning designations used by RCT Council to identify non-statutory sites of County Borough nature conservation importance. The RCT Local Development Plan nature conservation policy, AW8, identifies how the SINC system works. This system uses the ‘Mid Valleys Area SINC Selection Criteria’ and identifies and maps sites which support habitats and species of priority biodiversity importance.
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SINC are designated through the Local Development Plan process and their protection is through the planning process, and when and where planning permission is required for land use change. The policy protection of AW8 requires that planning applications which affect sites with SINC designations are supported by detailed ecological assessment and that the biodiversity features of importance within a site is either protected through avoidance or impacts are mitigated or where possible, enhanced through specific nature conservation action.
Because of where RCT is situated, close to Cardiff and with three major road corridors, and large areas of publicly owned land, there are lots of planning applications that involve consideration of Policy AW8. The SINC system is therefore of immense importance in the delivery of effective biodiversity action in RCT.
