Northamptonshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS)

The public consultation for North Northamptonshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy is currently open, and we encourage you as a key stakeholder within the LNRS to process to view the draft version of the strategy, and respond accordingly.

The Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) policy was introduced in the Environment Act 2021. Local Nature Recovery Strategies are a system of spatial strategies, that are being produced by 48 ‘responsible authorities’ across England, to identify priorities for nature and nature recovery within their respective county boundary. In Northamptonshire, the Local Nature Recovery Strategies are being led and prepared by West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council respectively. Each strategy must include a ‘statement of biodiversity priorities’ for that county, and a ‘local habitat map’ to outline the habitats and species that are present, and propose measures to improve and enhance those habitats.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies are required to be produced in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders, and the CLA has long held the view that it is essential for farmers, landowners, and rural businesses to be given every opportunity to contribute to this process and help shape strategies that are grounded in the realities of farming and land management. This will be particularly important during the delivery stages of this process when the responsible authorities seek to act on the proposals contained within their strategies and undertake work to enhance the habitats that have been identified, and/or create new ones in line with the findings from the strategy. Whilst the LNRS places no legal restriction or obligation on you, as a landowner, to carry out this work or host any such habitat creation or restoration, the strategies will only be strengthened by your local knowledge and expertise.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies are also intended to be the delivery mechanism for Biodiversity Net Gain; as such, land used to provide off-site net gain (i.e., not within the redline boundary of the development project) that has been identified within the LNRS will automatically attract an uplift in the number of units that the site can produce, meaning better financial returns for the landowner. Defra has also indicated that future opportunities for funding and investment may be informed by a region’s LNRS; it is also possible that the strategies may be used as a consideration in planning and development, so it is very important for the sector to be well represented within the consultations for each strategy, and during their future revisions, which we understand will be carried out on a five-yearly basis.

Responding to the consultation for North Northamptonshire’s LNRS is likely to be the last opportunity you will have to contribute to this process before the strategy is officially adopted in 2025.

More details on the LNRS for North Northamptonshire, and the consultation, can be found online here.

We strongly encourage any CLA members in North Northamptonshire’s operational area to view the draft strategy online, and respond to the consultation accordingly. The consultation is open until 9th December 2024 – comments can also be submitted to the responsible authority via naturerecovery@northnorthants.gov.uk

The public consultation for West Northamptonshire’s LNRS is expected to be opened in the new year, and we will keep you informed of any developments as they arise.