Issue - meetings

(Appendix 2d is a link available in the report under the list of appendices)

Report of Corporate Director Communities

Purpose of report

To endorse the publication of the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1     To endorse the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy and approves its publication by Oxfordshire County Council.

Resolved

(1)            That the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy be endorsed and  its publication by Oxfordshire County Council be approved.

The Corporate Director Communities submitted a report to endorse the publication of the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

In introducing the report, the Portfolio Holder for Greener Communities explained that the Environment Act 2021 established the requirement on Local Authorities to publish a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) was the Responsible Authority for Oxfordshire and had the duty to prepare the LNRS. Each of the District Councils, the City Council and Natural England were Supporting Authorities who played a key role in shaping the LNRS throughout its preparation. Whilst Supporting Authorities were required to confirm they “raised no objection” to the publication of the LNRS, OCC had requested they endorse the Strategy.

The Environment Act placed a duty on Local Authorities to have regard to the LNRS in exercising their functions and Supporting Authorities would be key users of the Strategy. It was intended that Local Plans would refer to the LNRS as a guiding document and it would be used to inform decisions within Planning and direct any council efforts for nature recovery. This would help the council deliver other organisational objectives and duties more effectively such as biodiversity net gain and the Biodiversity Duty but would not otherwise have direct implications for the council’s processes and operations.

Resolved

(1)            That the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy be endorsed and  its publication by Oxfordshire County Council be approved.

Reasons

The Environment Act 2021 establishes the requirement on Local Authorities to publish a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS).

Supporting Authorities are required to confirm in writing that they are content for the LNRS to be published within 28 days of the Responsible Authority providing them with the final draft of the LNRS. The council received the final draft of the LNRS on 22 July 2025 and the deadline for raising an objection or endorsing the LNRS is 15 October 2025.

The Council’s Senior Ecologist has been closely involved in the preparation and drafting of the LNRS, and there has been a series of public and stakeholder engagement events and a full public consultation. Consultation comments have now been acted on and the final draft LNRS documents have now been prepared based on the feedback from the public consultation and input from a wide variety of biodiversity experts as well as the Supporting Authorities. Officers are satisfied that the document is fit for publication and should be endorsed.

Alternative options

Option 1: Object to the publication of the LNRS and submit a PAN (publication advisory notice). Regulation 15 of the LNRS regulations provides that a Supporting Authority may submit a publication advisory notice to the Responsible Authority. It may do this if it considers that, either parts of a final local nature recovery strategy cannot be justified based on the results of the consultation undertaken or that the strategy is materially defective.

This option has been rejected because CDC Officers have been closely involved in all stages of the development, review and preparation of the LNRS and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43