Policy information sourced from the Waltham Forest Local Plan

79 Biodiversity and Geodiversity

Proposals should seek to protect and enhance biodiversity and geodiversity resources in the borough and achieve biodiversity net gain by:

A. Maximising opportunities to create new, or make improvements to existing natural environments, nature conservation areas, habitats or biodiversity features and links into the wider green infrastructure network, and contributing to the Local Nature Recovery Strategy;

B. Undertaking a biodiversity survey of the site and submitting it in support of all major planning applications;

C. Avoiding and minimising the impacts of development on biodiversity in accordance with the London Plan mitigation hierarchy;

D. Demonstrating a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain using the Defra Biodiversity Metric 2.0 (or subsequent version), even where development proposals do not result in biodiversity loss;

E. Preparing a long-term monitoring and maintenance plan for biodiversity and habitat proposals for a minimum period of 30 years, including both on- and off-site measures;

F. Demonstrating that any off-site measures proposed seek to enhance locally important priorities with reference to the Green and Blue Spaces Supplementary Planning Document (SPD);

G. Providing measures support species and habitats through the use of landscaping on or adjacent to buildings. This may involve the inclusion of living roofs and walls and other measures (such as bird boxes) which provide space for species to nest, roost or hibernate;

H. Temporarily protecting vacant or derelict land awaiting redevelopment that has some value for nature conservation;

I. Improving public access to areas of nature conservation (where appropriate), especially in areas of deficiency.

J. Submitting an arboricultural report at the planning application stage where a development proposal will impact on trees (see Policy 80 ‘Trees’);

K. Protecting and enhancing the nature conservation or geological interest of nationally important wildlife sites, as shown on the Policies Map. Development proposals will not normally be granted planning permission where they pose adverse direct or indirect effects on the biodiversity or nature conservation value of any land or area within the identified Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Sites of Importance to Nature Conservation (SINC), Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Ramsar sites, or Special Protection Areas (SPA) without appropriate mitigation measures being secured prior to development. These sites are shown on the Policies Map and include but are not limited to the Walthamstow Reservoirs Special Protection Area, Walthamstow Wetlands and Walthamstow Marshes Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Epping Forest SAC;

L. Retaining, restoring and enhancing features of geological interest on sites designated for their geodiversity value. Development proposals which would cause harm to a site designated for its geodiversity value will be resisted, unless any damaging impacts can be prevented by appropriate mitigation measures.