Natural Environment and Open Spaces

10. NPPF para 96 advises that

 ‘planning policies and decisions should aim to achieve healthy, inclusive and safe places which: c) enable and support healthy lives, through both promoting good health and preventing ill-health … – for example through the provision of safe and accessible green infrastructure.’ 

Planning of green infrastructure also plays a part in planning for climate change (para 164 a)) and conserving and enhancing the natural environment (para 188).

11. The NPPF defines Green Infrastructure (GI) as:

 ‘A network of multi-functional green space, urban and rural, which is capable of delivering a wide range of environmental and quality of life benefits for local communities’ (NPPF Annex 2: Glossary).  

National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) explains that GI assets can be in public or private ownership and include:

 ‘… parks, playing fields, other areas of open space, woodland, allotments, private gardens, sustainable drainage features, green roofs and walls, street trees’ (Paragraph: 004 Reference ID: 8-004-20190721).  

Blue infrastructure, such as watercourses and pools, also forms an integral part of the GI network.  GI can support climate change adaptation and healthy lifestyles and improve air quality.

12. TNP provides an excellent opportunity to review GI assets in Tasley, including the ecological network and public open spaces, to consider how these can be protected and enhanced, and to identify where new, high-quality GI is needed that supports existing communities (people and wildlife) and benefits new communities formed as a result of development proposals.

13. Delivering 10% biodiversity net gain is now a national planning policy requirement for most developments.  There is no specific guidance in the emerging SLP as to how this should be delivered in the Tasley area.  The emerging Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Local Nature Recovery Strategy, to be produced by the end of 2024, will provide strategic guidance.  There is potential for existing areas of habitat and agricultural land to become locations where biodiversity net gain from developments across Shropshire and beyond could be delivered.

14. Shropshire Environment Network (SEN)  (referenced in the Shropshire Council Natural Environment Note 11 – Environmental Networks)  consists of areas of high biodiversity value and the areas that act as connective ‘corridors and stepping stones’ between them. These need to be taken into account when compiling development proposals, to ensure that they meet national and local policy regarding the protection and enhancement of the natural environment.

15. In the Tasley area, as shown on Map 6 and Map 7, the SEN identifies extensive corridors (shown in light green) and buffers (shown in dark green) across the area, and also small ‘Core Areas’ (shown in red) and a ‘Restoration and Creation’ area (shown in brown) which forms a proposed natural buffer between the settlement edge and the Tasley Gateway development.  This restoration area does not form part of the recent outline planning permission for this development.

16. Shropshire Green Infrastructure Study 2020 (SGIS), prepared by Shropshire Council to support preparation of the new Shropshire Local Plan, maps existing significant GI assets across Shropshire and identifies strategic opportunities to protect, enhance and extend the GI network around settlements including Bridgnorth.  The SGIS states that: 

‘In recent years, whilst developments in Shropshire have generally provided sufficient open space to meet policy requirements in terms of area, the quality of such spaces and their connectivity to existing GI has often been poor’ (Para 1.12).

17. Policy S3. Bridgnorth Plan Area of the emerging SLP requires development proposals to respond positively to policies and guidelines in community-led plans – which would include  TNP.  Policy DP14 requires all new development to enhance existing green infrastructure assets and extend the green infrastructure network in accordance with the SGIS, and to have regard to GI requirements in Neighbourhood Plans where these are available.  For strategic sites, such as Tasley Garden Village (TGV), green infrastructure should be an integral part of a masterplan showing good quality and appropriate on-site provision which delivers a GI network which links existing and new GI assets in a coherent manner and maximises benefits, connecting to the GI network in the surrounding area and improving that network’s accessibility and linkages where possible.  

18. The SGIS concludes that there are limited amounts of publicly accessible open space in the wider Bridgnorth study area (which includes Tasley) – 0.66 ha per 1000 persons by 2038 compared to a Shropshire standard of 0.82 ha, and 1.91 ha in Shrewsbury by 2038.  Bridgnorth is deficient in allotments, the west (including Tasley) is deficient in access to District scale open space, and the area around Sydney Cottage Drive (including Tasley) has poor access to open space generally.

19. Map 8 identifies the Existing Green Infrastructure Assets and Key Constraints in and around Tasley neighbourhood plan area and Map 9 shows potential GI opportunities in the Tasley area.

20. The specific SGIS recommendations for Bridgnorth which relate to the TNP area are:

Across Bridgnorth:

• Provide new accessible public open space to help serve new homes and more people;

• Provide new allotments and play facilities for children and teenagers to address existing deficiencies and serve new homes;

• Provide more street trees, where possible, and use climate resilient species in planting;

• Change maintenance of all open spaces to improve biodiversity.

In Tasley:

• Provide new open space within Tasley Gateway and Tasley Garden Village developments to meet the needs of new residents and address poor access in the Sydney Cottage Drive area to include food growing opportunities / allotments; play facilities for children and young people; informal open space; and direct and attractive links to the Clee View Road area;

• Create robust habitat corridors to the north and south of Bridgnorth (see Opportunities map) focusing on the A458 Bypass corridor, water corridors, existing woodland and buffer vegetation - through habitat creation and management, including “stepping-stones” and reduction of local flood risk;

• Within Tasley Garden Village, strengthen the Tiddle Brook habitat corridor through management practices to improve the channel and lining substrate, and creation of buffer habitat;

• Manage the Cantern and Tiddle Brooks in a way which reduces local flood risk.

21. Regarding the Tasley Gateway development, which was an existing allocation in the SAMDev, the SGIS Opportunities map (Map 9) identifies ‘new open space including food growing opportunities’.  The recent hybrid (part outline and part full) planning permission for the site indicates allotments in the later phase, south of the A458 Bypass, and provision of 50sqm of new open space per person, which is above the 30sqm per person (assuming one person per bedroom) required by both the adopted SAMDev Policy MD2 and the emerging SLP Policy DP15.  The plans also indicate two small, equipped play areas within open space serving the housing development north of the A458 and conditions require provision of equipped and informal play areas.

22. However, the majority of this new open space would be Sustainable Drainage (SuDS) features and buffer landscaping around the employment development south of the A458.  The latter would not be either easily accessible for residents in the north of the development or functional as public open space.  The plans submitted for discharge of landscaping conditions for the housing development north of the A458 do not show any equipped play areas within open space.  It is also not certain that any allotments will be provided south of the A458, as allotments are not referenced in the Section 106 agreement for the development.  

23. Shropshire Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy (PPOsS) (2020) recommendations for Bridgnorth focus on improving the quality of existing pitches, plus aspirations to provide a new floodlit 3G pitch and cricket facilities.  Given there are currently no sports facilities or pitches in Tasley, it is unlikely that the TNP area would be the best location for this type of investment.  The Shropshire Indoor Leisure Facilities Strategy (2020) found there are enough indoor facilities across the county to meet needs up to 2038.

24. SLP Policy S3. Schedule S3.1 sets out development guidelines for TGV, which include the following GI-related requirements:

• ‘Provide 20 ha of green infrastructure and a 19ha linear park, including new playing fields and associated facilities, of an appropriate quantity and quality to meet the needs of the community, including effective native planting and reflecting the design principles of a ‘garden village’;

• Retain and enhance mature trees, hedgerows, structural vegetation and key green infrastructure corridors to form part of the green infrastructure network on the site;

• Use green infrastructure to create appropriate settings for identified heritage assets.

• Retain historic field patterns and hedgerows within green infrastructure network and design of the development;

• Use green infrastructure with strong native tree planting to provide a substantial landscape buffer between residential areas and noise / dust / odour pollution from the A458 and employment uses, the relocated livestock market and mineral activities

• Safeguard and buffer natural environment assets in and around the site, including Thatchers Wood and Westwood Covert SSSI, Devil’s Hole SSSI, non-statutory designated wildlife sites and any priority habitats;

• Incorporate sustainable drainage and water treatment facilities which restrict water runoff to greenfield rates and protect water quality in the wider drainage network. Exclude development from any areas subject to residual surface water flood risk or in Flood Zones 2 or 3.

• Provide pedestrian and cycle links to and through the site, particularly to the new primary school, local centre and public transport connections. Maintain and expand the public rights of way network.

25. These requirements are relatively detailed for a Local Plan, and Shropshire Council intends to work with the site promoters to develop a masterplan for the TGV development, which will provide further detail.  However, a key role for the TNP is to ensure the provision of open space and natural areas related to the TGV development which maximises delivery of GI benefits and biodiversity net gain in a way that addresses the local context and local priorities.  In this regard, the TNP will sit between the SLP and the TGV masterplan - providing more detailed GI requirements for the TGV site, which must be incorporated into the masterplan and planning applications for the site.

26. Policy TNP3 - Green Infrastructure Improvements together with TNP Maps 4 and 5 show how existing and new GI will form a strong GI network across the Tasley area and beyond.  Map 4 (p27) focuses on ecological networks and Map 5 (p28) focuses on public open space. By linking proposed improvements and enhancements to existing areas of wildlife value and public open space, Tasley’s GI network will be strengthened and extended, and new development proposals will be better integrated into the other parts of the Parish which are in the open countryside.