The Local Development Framework. (pdf document, opens in new window) contains details about environmental planning policies in West Wiltshire.
Special Areas of Conservation (SAC)The River Avon Special Area of Conservation (SAC)The River Avon rises in the Vale of Pewsey and flows through Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset to the sea at Christchurch. The River Avon and its tributaries form one of the most diverse chalk stream systems in the UK, with over 180 plant species, one of the most diverse fish populations, and a wide range of aquatic invertebrates. The importance of the River Avon and its tributaries has been recognised for several internationally rare or threatened species, such as sea and brook lamprey, bullhead, Atlantic salmon and Desmoulins' whorl snail. The river is largely dominated by water crowfoot (Ranunculus spp.) vegetation communities.
Much of the River Avon, its tributaries and some areas of adjacent wetland are designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) due to the presence of these internationally important habitats and species. SACs are sites designated by the government under Article 3 of the Habitats Directive as transposed by the Habitats Regulations (1994). SACs are of European importance for nature conservation and receive the highest level of legal protection. More information on the River Avon SAC can be found at: www.english-nature.org.uk/lifeinukrivers/strategies/Avon/avon.html
Under the Habitats Regulations, any development with the potential to affect a SAC and its designated species must be subject to strict scrutiny by the decision-maker (or Competent Authority), including Planning Authorities. The Habitats Regulations also require developers to include sufficient information with their planning applications to enable Planning Authorities to make informed decisions on any potential impacts to the River Avon.
The River Avon SAC Planning Forum was established to help strengthen planning liaison with respect to the internationally important Hampshire/ Salisbury Avon. It was recognised that there are a large number of Authorities involved with the River Avon, each granting permission or consent for a wide range of developments. There is potential for ecological effects caused by pollution or altered hydrological regime to occur a long distance from each individual development. Consequently, determining whether effects from individual developments will act cumulatively or in-combination is a particularly complex process – the Forum aims to coordinate and standardise this decision-making process. Membership of the Forum includes all local planning authorities involved with the river in Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset, English Nature, the Environment Agency, Water Companies, the Forestry Commission and the Highways Agency.
For more information on the River Avon SAC Planning Forum, contact Jenny Ford on 01225 713 241 or email jennyford@wiltshire.gov.uk
One of the first actions of the River Avon SAC Planning Forum has been to produce Guidance for Developers which contains advice on how to get permission for developments within the vicinity of the River Avon. The Guidance shows how applications for housing, industrial and retail development, minerals and waste development, road schemes, agricultural land use and any changes of use of land around the river will be considered in the light of the site’s legal protection. The booklet takes would-be developers through each stage of the process detailing what information may be needed. West Wiltshire District Council will expect planning applications for developments with the potential to affect the River Avon to contain supporting information in accordance with the advice in this booklet.
The booklet “Protecting the River Avon: Essential Habitats Directive Advice for Developers can be downloaded below.”