Dear Residents,

Planning Validation Guide

Every two years Teigbridge District Council needs to consult on the Planning Validation Guide which sets out what applicants need to do/submit to ensure conformity with the planning regime. The Guide is constantly updated to reflect changes in legislation/new requirements as they arise.

It is envisaged that the revised draft Guide will be published on our website for consultation next week and people will have four weeks to comment. Direct contact will be made with statutory consultees, planning agents and town and parish councils.

It is intended that the outcome of this consultation, together with the finalised guide, will be reported to the December Executive Committee.

Green Homes Grant warning

Some residents will remember in our last report that under this scheme, homeowners and landlords can obtain financial help (up to £5,000) towards making home energy improvements in the home. In some cases the grant can cover the full cost (up to £10,000) if a homeowner is in receipt of a qualifying benefit.

We have received reports of a company which is actively marketing this scheme and claiming that they are registered to carry out the work when they are not. They have been reported to Trading Standards.

Residents should check out any company which approaches them. The work must be carried out by a certified installer. Installers must be Trustmark registered and also registered to work on the Green Homes Grant scheme, meeting PAS and MCS standards. Home owners or landlords can find a certified installer on line.

Vouchers will be provided towards the cost of installing energy efficient and low carbon heating improvements, such as insulation and heat pumps and solar thermal. The voucher will cover up to 100% of the cost for low income owner occupied households.

Some companies appear to try and get work on the back of government schemes such as this, inflating the price to cover the grant cost or doing the work and leaving residents unable to claim the cost.

Residents seeking information and/or who want to apply for a voucher should visit https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/ Midnight on Monday is the deadline for SolarTogether registration Homeowners or landlords have until Monday to register to Devon wide group buying scheme which offers the opportunity to buy high quality take advantage of our solar PV more cheaply than if buying alone.

Research by the University of Exeter shows that 19 per cent of all Devon’s carbon emissions are created by our homes, with more than half of those by grid-supplied electricity. Installing solar panels will reduce the amount of grid-supplied electricity needed for things like hot water, with a transfer to more eco-friendly solar energy.

Registration is simple, free and there is no obligation.

A ‘reverse’ auction involving pre-vetted suppliers will then take place on 6 October and the winning bid will be the most cost-effective one for registered residents to then consider.

Registered households will then receive a recommendation, specifically tailored to the details they submitted in their registration. If they accept the recommendation, the specifics of their installation will be confirmed with a technical survey and then a date can be set for installation.

Test and trace support payments

Residents on lower incomes required by law to self-isolate if they test positive or are contacted by NHS Test and Trace, may be eligible for a £500 Test and Trace Support Payment if they cannot work from home.

The Government says these payments will be in place by 12 October and those who were told self-isolate from 28 September will receive backdated payments, if they are eligible, once the scheme is set up in their council area.

In the meantime people can register their intention to claim via our website and staff are working on putting the systems in place to manage future claims.

Local Restrictions Support Grants

The Government has produced guidance in relation to Local Restrictions Support Grant which will provide grants of up to £1,500 per business property to those businesses that are required to close for more than three weeks as a result of coronavirus. Businesses subject to national closures (eg nightclubs) will not be eligible and businesses can check their eligibility on line.

COVID-19 App

If you haven’t already, the government is urging everyone to join the millions of people who they say have downloaded the New COVID-19 app launched last week, designed to support the NHS’s Test and Trace work.

Local businesses are being asked to display NHS QR posters so visitors and customers can check-in safely and securely. QR codes will help businesses meet the legal requirement to record the contact details of customers, visitors and staff on their premises. If this is not possible, an alternative check-in method, such as a handwritten register, must be maintained to collect the contact details of those who don’t have the app.

The app provides users with local risk information, alerts them if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive and has a built-in QR scanner to check-in at venues.

What can you do as a Councillor to increase diversity and inclusion?

As we move to provide greater equality across Teignbridge, how we approach the task meaningfully might be on our minds. For those of you wishing to find out more, or, if you find the whole concept challenging at the moment, Dr Kul Verma makes some excellent points in this informative and thought provoking webinar hosted by the Local Government Association. A must watch for anyone wishing to increase their knowledge of diversity and inclusion and make improvements to equality practices in their organisations.

Space standards must be met

All new homes in England delivered through any Permitted Development Right (PDR) must meet space standards, the housing secretary Robert Jenrick yesterday announced.

Preparing for new trading arrangements

The Heart of South West Growth Hub and Better Business for All have prepared a number of UK Transition Business resources on a dedicated web (paste this link into your browser https://www.heartofswgrowthhub.co.uk/start-grow-business/transition/ ) page to support companies and organisations prepare for the new trading arrangements with the EU which will come into effect in January.

The plan is to update the web page regularly to support businesses plan for new year changes.

Ecological Emergency Actions – Teignbridge District Council

What is an ecological emergency?

An ecological emergency recognises that there are many significant declines of ecological species that have been recorded during the past few decades and many of these sustained declines are putting species at risk of extinction. The State of Nature Report (2019) includes a collaborative assessment, by 50 conservation organisations, of 7,600 species in England, of which 13% are identified to be at risk of extinction based on the IUCN Regional Red List criteria. A striking statistic is that 97% of English hay meadows have been lost since the end of the Second World War.

Pressures on ecological species and habitats are from a range of sources: intensive agricultural practices, habitat loss and quality of habitat management, increase of built development area, pollution – including from highways water run-off and combined sewerage systems overflow – further loss of ecological corridors, degradation of integrity of ecological networks, and increase of invasive non-native species. Human population growth coupled with modern consumer lifestyles that rely on significant amounts of ecosystem resources, are driving and compacting many of these issues.

The climate changes that are occurring rapidly because of the density of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources, are pressuring species to migrate, adapt or potentially become extinct. Quality of ecological networks are key in enabling species movement and resilience as well as healthy and connected species populations. The Lawton Review (2010) was endorsed by government and the key findings continue to resonate as good-practice for habitat and species resilience. These are to maintain or restore habitats to ensure bigger, better quality, and more joined-up wildlife sites and habitats. This emphasises the importance of retaining or restoring habitat corridors to promote robust and heathy species populations.

What does the declaration mean?

Teignbridge District Council has made an Ecological Emergency declaration. How this can be recognised is to promote, and potentially share more widely, the good work that we are already doing and look to identify further productive ways to engage with others, including central government, other local authorities including the county, town and parish councils, local experts and communities, nature organisations and other landowning organisations such as south-west water. Generation of further workload in-house will need close consideration of capacity and funding.

What is Teignbridge District Council already doing?

It is important to recognise the good work and projects that TDC is already undertaking, in order to inform the current position and any further steps that may be beneficial. One further action may be to further promote the positive projects that have already taken place / are taking place. Some examples of good practice are below.

Teignbridge District Council employs and retains important, non-statutory staff positions of biodiversity officer, spatial planning team including green infrastructure officer, and green spaces team, in order to achieve these good quality outcomes for our green spaces, nature and the environment listed below. This shows a clear and strong commitment to good quality delivery and management of green spaces.

*TDC green spaces team manage our own land with a good knowledge and understanding of how to achieve multiple benefits including for recreation, wildlife and environment. Simple measures such as cutting hedgerows on an annual basis outside of the bird-nesting season and retaining longer grassy meadow margins when cutting swathes of grassland or meadow, can provide significant uplift for birds, invertebrates and other species.

• TDC green spaces team host a series of annual events to promote engagement with our green spaces and their heritage, habitats and wildlife (currently programme is curtailed due to Covid19). These are often creative and unique events created as bespoke engagement experiences for each particular sites merits.

*Biodiversity Officers (one joint FT post) comment on the many planning applications that TDC receive, to ensure that good-practice is followed and that biodiversity gains are achieved wherever possible. This is a vital resource.

*TDC is part of the Devon Local Nature Partnership that is headed up by Devon County Council. This facilitates joined up work for biodiversity across the County, including reviews of species and habitats. Currently an ancient woodland review is underway to provide an updated record of where our ancient woodlands are, currently they are mapped to two hectares minimum but this review will map to 0.5 hectares. TDC has supported this financially and the findings can be used for conservation and as part of the planning application process.

* Cirl bunting is rare nationally, with its population is largely restricted to Devon and Cornwall, with a third of the national population within Teignbridge. By working with the RSPB, it has been possible to halt the decline of this species and to support its resilience. However, continued efforts are needed.

*TDC provided land and DCC provided funding for establishment of new RSPB site at Labrador Bay, which has seen positive outcomes for cirl buntings and for quiet recreation. This site is celebrating its 10-year anniversary.

*TDC is working in partnership with RSPB for the establishment of another reserve at Ashill near Teignmouth, which is funded via developer contributions for cirl bunting mitigation.

*TDC is part of a Habitat Mitigation Partnership with East Devon and Exeter. As part of the mitigation plan, TDC acquired, established and is managing a new 26 hectare green space (SANGS) Dawlish Countryside Park, to mitigate the impact of new development on European protected wildlife sites by directing some trips away from these sites. The first year saw circa 87,000 visits to the Dawlish Countryside Park and intelligent habitat creation and management saw the amount of breeding pairs of cirl bunting on-site treble in the first year.

*TDC partnered with RSPB and Plantlife in the second year of the Dawlish Countryside Park management, and as part of the Back from the Brink project the small-flowered catchfly was introduced to Dawlish Countryside Park from Kew Millennium Seedbank. The organic crop on-site will be managed sensitively to promote both small-flowered catchfly and cirl bunting, whilst providing a visual spectacle for visitors and organic farming learning opportunities.

*TDC spatial planning and green spaces teams are currently leading on delivering a new 40 hectare green space (SANGS) at South-west Exeter, which will host restored native hedgerows, native woodland and wildflower meadow, as well as a limited area of crop for cirl buntings, rare arable weeds and learning opportunities.

*TDC arboriculture officer works hard to ensure that new tree planting is of good origin and condition and will be managed appropriately.

*All bat species are protected by European legislation, and in Devon we host important roosting populations of greater horseshoe bats, which are one of the most endangered species. The protection of roosts (where bats breed or overwinter) is of key importance, as is protection of suitable feeding grounds and connectivity via dark flightpaths (natural features such as hedgerows and lines of trees are often used for navigation).

*TDC development management and spatial planning teams have been an instrumental partner in the production of the South Hams Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) guidance documentation that details core roost protection zones, sustenance zones and landscape connectivity zones for comprehensive protection. The South Hams SAC is thought to host the largest population of greater horseshoe bats nationally. This quality guidance was recognised via an award received from the Association of Local Government Ecologists (2019).

*Dormice are protected by European legislation, and TDC and DCC have Local Plan policy that ensures where connecting hedgerow habitat is lost that there is mitigation provided. In Devon, hedgerows have long been the dominant boundary feature for agricultural land and as such we host a good population of dormice. However, it is essential that good connectivity of habitats is retained to safeguard dormice and other species, and hedgerows offer excellent quality of habitat connectivity between woodlands and other features.

*In late 2018, six swift boxes were installed on the main TDC building, Forde House offices by the spatial planning team and property maintenance team. In 2019, swift calls were played each evening to attract swifts searching for a nesting site. None took up residence in 2019 but it can take a few years to attract occupants to a new nesting site, so swift calls will be played again in 2020 during the nesting season. Swift populations have declined over past decades due to lack of nesting sites but any suitable building with a height of three stories or more, and with unobstructed flight-line for safe access, could offer nesting space.

*TDC councillors financially supported the planting and improvements to the green space within Penn Inn roundabout, which was delivered effectively by the Newton Abbot Community Interest Company in 2019, and includes planting of some small trees, Mediterranean area and a small wildflower meadow.

*TDC green spaces team and spatial planning are leading on the tree planting strategy and have arranged for recent planting of 1,500 whips (young trees) on TDC land in three key locations, as well as organising a tree planting seminar for town and parish councillors that was highly praised and shared important learning from a range of experts. ‘The right tree in the right place’ was one key message. An application for the Urban Tree Fund Challenge will be submitted in summer 2020 for further planting.

*TDC spatial planning were successful in a Garden Communities bid to secure funding to further develop projects including for ‘connecting to nature’. This may link to the idea for a Newton Arboretum to provide tree trails on key routes to interpret the many benefits of trees and engage communities more closely with them. Other elements of connecting to nature are likely to be ‘incredible edible’, mini-meadows and interactive natural art features.

Where are there clear losses or opportunities for uplift?

*The retention of posts within TDC that are not statutory but are essential in order to deliver continued positive outcomes for nature, and the many related wellbeing benefits for residents, is of key importance.

*As part of the Local Plan policies review, TDC will be seeking to attain input from many stakeholders, via consultation, to ensure TDC Local Plan policies provide for the most effective protection for habitats and wildlife to enable robust, well connected and healthy populations. Green infrastructure corridors are within the TDC Green Infrastructure Strategy (created by TDC in partnership with DCC) and referenced in the Local Plan. Further work is currently being done via a Devon Wildlife Trust partnership to map a Devon-wide Nature Recovery Network. The Local Plan is an important factor where TDC can have influence on positive future outcomes. Robust validation, policy and planning obligations and conditions are essential.

*Net biodiversity gain is due to become mandatory in the near future and a revised Natural England metric will be used by developer’s ecologists to calculate anticipated losses of habitat that will need to be avoided, mitigated on-site or mitigated off-site. This could see opportunities for establishing new wildlife hubs, enhancing existing hubs or improving connectivity. The Local Plan policy review has incorporated net gain.

*Local plan policy review could see measures for wildlife such as hedgehogs and swifts improved via install of hedgehog holes in fencing and install of swift boxes on tall buildings becoming standard. In addition, Devon Special Species may attain more weight via the Local Plan review.

*White-clawed crayfish and great-crested newt are virtually extinct in Teignbridge. Restoring these species would require significant partnership working to improve water quality, habitat availability and connectivity, and reduce invasive non-native species impacts. Conservation organisations are often best-placed to lead on such initiatives, with support from many partners, including local authorities including mining and landfill, Natural England, local businesses, landowners, and the main water authority.

*TDC already linked with Back from the Brink via the introduction of the rare arable weed small-flowered catchfly at Dawlish Countryside Park. There may be further opportunities to promote the work of this initiative. Grey long-eared bat is another species within this initiative; it is rare but is present within Teignbridge. There may be ways that TDC can promote the project, such as via communications.

*Spatial planning and other departments including green spaces and Economy & Assets will be working towards successful outcomes for Garden Communities funding including beneficial gains via connection to nature and residents’ wellbeing. TDC are already discussing Newton Arboretum with Newton Abbot Community Trust.

*Lobbying of central government to ensure recognition of the ecological emergency and to deliver good-quality and effective legislation, the Environment Bill being the most important particularly as this will replace European wildlife legislation and will dictate levels of support and incentives provided to farmers to enable them to incorporate more wildlife features within their regular management, such as wildflower seed margins, over-wintering stubbles and wildlife ponds. Agricultural management is probably the most important national influence on wildlife because it covers the greatest area of land and can have a massive impact (both negative and positive) depending on the management styles and features incorporated. Intensively managed agricultural land can lead to depletion of soil quality and loss of its capacity to filter pollutants and capture run-off, and increased run-off of fertilisers such as nitrates causes pollution of watercourses and ponds.

*Promotion of the positive work that TDC carries out to protect and improve conditions for wildlife and engaging people with wildlife is important for supporting and widening the reach of these measures.

*Promotion of the Devon County Council project to encourage community management and monitoring of some verges (beside quieter roadways and where safe to do so), so that they can be managed sensitively for wildlife, possibly as native wildflower meadow strips that provide connecting habitat for species including pollinating species and other invertebrates. Many invertebrates are threatened by the pressures described above such as habitat loss and loss of connectivity but they are often recognised less due to their less visible presence.

*Tree canopy coverage objectives have already been considered. TDC has a good cover of trees and woodland in the district but it is important to retain this coverage and ensure its long-term health and resilience, to improve connectivity and to engage the current and upcoming generations with nature including trees and their massive, widespread benefits.

*ACT (Action on Climate in Teignbridge) ecology group is working closely with TDC officers on developing a Volunteer Wildlife Warden Scheme. A key part of the scheme is training Volunteer Wildlife Wardens who would like to improve their wildlife and habitat management knowledge, so no specialist knowledge is needed to enrol. This will be launched hopefully this month.

Yours Sincerely