Mitigation Strategy for Chilterns Beechwoods SAC

The Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is under damaging pressure from increasing visitor numbers. Dacorum Borough Council, the lead local authority, has now agreed their formal mitigation strategy to help protect this special habitat.

We have earlier reported that more protection is needed for the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation, including the Ashridge Estate and Tring Woodlands, following publication of an independent ecological assessment.

First, a reminder of the background on this.

What is a Special Area of Conservation

A large part of the Ashridge Estate is within the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC. Tring Woodlands are also part of the SAC. Special Area of Conservation, or SAC, is a European wildlife designation first put into effect by The Habitats Regulations (2010). UK law places SACs in the top tier of nature conservation sites nationally.

The law requires that a local planning authority must take into account the potential impact of any proposals in a local plan, and any grant of planning permission, on any SAC within its area. This also applies to any other local planning authority whose local plan proposals could impact on the SAC, even if the site is not within its area.

Why is the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC important

The Chilterns Beechwoods are noted for their beech-dominated woodlands, which include many ancient or veteran trees, such as those in Frithsden Beeches. They also incorporate areas of open grassland, and special conditions which support rare stag beetles. The sites contain a number of notable and rare plants.

The total area of the SAC is large, covering 1285 hectares, with separate areas further south in the Chilterns in addition to those at Ashridge and Tring.

What did the ecological assessment conclude

The assessment concluded that there are an estimated 1.7 million visits to Ashridge per year. This is a larger figure than the entire population of Hertfordshire. And damage is occurring.

Footprint Ecology, who conducted the assessment, identified damage from soil compaction and root exposure, erosion of footpaths by people, horses and bikes, den building, trampling of rare plants by walkers, visitor parking, littering, fires from barbeques, vandalism, and dog fouling. Almost 500 examples of damage and other concerning impacts to the SAC were specifically identified.

What is the mitigation strategy

Dacorum Borough Council is required by law to put in place a mitigation strategy to protect the SAC from further damage. The mitigations must be in place in order for the Council to grant planning permission for development, or to finalise a Local Plan.

The Council has now published its mitigation strategy. The strategy applies throughout the Zone of Influence, an area within a 12.6 kilometre radius from Ashridge. This area extends across all of Dacorum Borough and into the edges of a number of adjoining authorities: St Albans City and District and Three Rivers District in Hertfordshire, and Buckinghamshire and Central Bedfordshire Councils.

In a nutshell, the mitigation strategy is a two-pronged approach. Each new development that increases the number of residents within the Zone of Influence, even if it’s only one dwelling unit, must:

• pay a fee that goes to the National Trust, who administer most of the Ashridge Estate, to help implement a variety of on-site measures to alleviate visitor pressures; and
• contribute to an existing Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) elsewhere in the borough or create a new SANG, so as to draw visitors away from Ashridge, and to the SANG.

The mitigation strategy contains full details of these measures, including a variety of requirements that must be met for each SANG. Download the mitigation strategy here.

Download

Our viewpoint

Here at CPRE Hertfordshire we are pleased that measures are now in place to protect the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC from further damage. We hope that the on-site measures to be taken by the National Trust will be sufficient to help protect this important area. However, we are concerned that developers may try to create SANGs (in name only) in unsuitable or inappropriate locations, that will not serve the purpose of drawing visitors away from the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC and only serve the purpose of getting their planning application approved.

We will keep a watching brief on the implementation of the mitigation strategy and call out issues if and when we identify them.

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