Environment
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We want to create a
place where people choose to live and work so the Local Development
Framework must protect and improve our area’s most valued natural
and man-made environments. For a long time planning authorities have
tried to protect the countryside from unnecessary development so as
to keep it open and unspoilt and the most important landscapes and
habitats are protected from urban development. However, they can
still be harmed by farming practices and other rural activities. In
these days of global food sourcing there is less reliance on local
agricultural produce and less protection of good agricultural land.
This trend may prove short sighted.
The role of the Green Belt is explained on the ‘LOCATION
OF DEVELOPMENT’ page. We should continue to protect the most
important historic buildings, environments and open spaces in our
rural and urban areas because contribute to our quality of life.
There is increasing concern about climate change and its effects on
our environment. There are several ways the planning system can help
to limit the effects of climate change and also tackle its causes
including encouraging renewable energy sources, and seeking to
reduce the risk of flooding and excessive water abstraction.
New development often has some negative effects. Where the benefits
of a development outweigh the harm it causes, the aim should be to
minimise damage through well sited, well designed proposals. The
loss of an environment can be made good by requiring developers to
do or pay for environmental improvement work nearby.
The most important features of the environment are protected by law,
although in many cases maintenance and improvement of these sites
and structures could be better. Features of only local importance
are not protected in the same way, so their future often depends on
the approach taken by local councils.
What environmental issues do you think we should focus on in the
Central Lancashire City area?
The natural environment
National planning policy recommends a top down approach to
protecting wildlife habitats. The Core Strategy will need to respect
and aim to protect environments of national or international
importance. These include:
• the Ribble Estuary, which is a ‘Ramsar’ site and a National Nature
Reserve; and
• six Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), important for
their ecological or land form features.
Sites of local and sub-regional importance have also been
identified. These are known as Biological and Geological Heritage
Sites, and many of them are in urban areas.
Our planning policies should also support the Lancashire-wide
Biodiversity Action Plan that aims to improve the variety of natural
species in the county. Open spaces, watercourses and woodlands in
urban areas are also a valuable asset in terms of recreation and
nature conservation. They contribute greatly to quality of life.
Central Lancashire includes areas of distinctive and attractive
countryside, including part of the Forest of Bowland Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to the north of Preston, and the
West Pennine Moors to the east of Chorley. Other valuable areas of
landscape have been identified in landscape character assessment
work carried out by Lancashire County Council. There are also
several initiatives to improve degraded landscapes through tree
planting and other work.
Pollution of the environment needs to minimised if it cannot be
avoided. This applies to maintaining, if not improving, air and
water quality. Carbon emissions are covered under ‘Renewable energy’
below. Toxic emissions from traffic and industrial processes clearly
require close control through both planning and environmental
legislation. Similarly, toxic outflows and run off from developments
and other activities into the ground, watercourses and, eventually,
the sea must be prevented wherever possible.
What do you think we can do to protect and improve the natural
environment?
The built environment
The Central Lancashire City area includes areas of significant
historic and architectural interest, some stemming from its
industrial past. The historic environment makes a valuable
contribution to the area’s economic and social wellbeing, and can
provide a focus for regeneration initiatives. The area has over
1,300 listed buildings, 26 conservation areas and several registered
parks and gardens of historic interest. There is also a variety of
archaeological sites ranging from 17 scheduled ancient monuments to
sites of more local importance.
The Core Planning Strategy can set out guiding principles on design
quality so that all new development improves townscapes and
contributes to an accessible, safe and attractive environment. We
should pay attention to efficient use of land and the density of new
development. These guiding principles could be expanded on in
development control policies and supplementary planning documents.
Are there any measures that you think we should take to protect and
improve our built environment?
Renewable energy
The government is urging local authorities to promote and encourage
the development of renewable energy sources, including wind, water
and solar power, and biofuels, or biomass.
Wind turbines are a common sight in upland areas of the north west
and there is now an increasing emphasis on promoting energy
efficiency and ‘micro-generation’. This is where existing and new
development includes features and adaptations that will generate
some of the building’s energy requirements from renewable sources.
The Core Planning Strategy can set out general guidance for this,
whilst detailed policy guidance would appear in other LDF documents.
What issues should we consider in thinking about increasing
renewable energy sources in the Central Lancashire City area?
Flood risk
With climate change we face an increased risk of flooding. The
Central Lancashire City authorities have commissioned research to
identify the areas most at risk of flooding in the future. The Core
Planning Strategy will identify these areas, and the results of the
study will shape decisions about site allocations.
The ideas generated by Preston City Council’s Riverworks study may
help to manage the River Ribble through the urban area, but the
potential effects of flooding will need to be fully taken into
account.
What should we do to control the risk of flooding and control
development in flood risk areas in the Central Lancashire city area?
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