The need for land for development purposes has resulted in inevitable conflicts with wildlife conservation. Housing, industrial and business development, roads, waste disposal and mineral extraction have been especially significant, resulting not only in direct loss, but also a whole variety of indirect impacts on nature conservation such as pollution, modification of water quality and flow, disturbances to sites in close proximity to development, and isolation and fragmentation of remaining habitats.

The demand for new development continues, but at the same time the important  role of planning for nature conservation has been recognised. The adoption of the LBAP as Supplementary Planning Guidance will take this process forwards and ensure that through the planning process UK and locally important habitats and species are conserved.  

Relevant Legislation and Guidance

Various pieces of national and European legislation provide the legal framework to support biodiversity objectives, including the Wildlife and Countryside Act (WCA) 1981 and Amendments 1985, the Conservation Regulations 1994 and the Countryside and Rights of way Act (CROW Act) 2000. Planning guidnace provided by the WAG gives advice to ensure that planning matters take account of this legislation. Planning Policy (Wales) 2002 (PPW) recognises that biodiversity is an essential element of sustainable development and places an onus on the local authority to address biodiversity issues, insofar, as they relate to land use planning, in both unitary development plans and development control decisions (PPW 5.2.7).

The guidance states that the 'planning system has an important part to play in meeting biodiversity objectives by promoting approaches to development which create new opportunites to enhance biodiversity, prevent biodiversity losses or compensate for losses where damage is unavoidable.'

The Royal Town Planning Institute has produced a document entitled Planning for Biodiversity; a Good Practice Guide, which provides advice on including biodiversity as an intergral part of all stages of the planning process. In addition Developing Naturally - a handbook for incorporating the Natural Environment into Planning and Development by Mike Oxford for the Assoication f LocalGovernment Ecologists and Naturl Conditions: a Review of Planning Conditions and nature Conservation by the RSPB are both useful volumes.

Sustainable Development

In 1994 the UK Government produced a document entitled Sustainable Development: the UK Strategy, which describes sustainable development as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs', and the UK Government has adopted this as a key approach to planning. Biodiversity conservation forms a major component of sustainable development and if this approach is adopted successfully it should ensure that valuable habitats and species are not sacrificed for short-term gain. In some instances scientific knowledge may be unable to confirm the effects of a development on a particular species or habitat. In these cases the precautionary principle should be applied, until scientific advances enable the effects to be properly determined, which may require in some instances the refusal of a planning permission.

Carmarthenshire Unitary Development Plan

The important role of planning for nature conservation is being increasingly recognised and understood. To maintain and enhance biodiversity at a local level the Unitary Development Plan should take into account the nature conservation resource and the capacity of the area concerned to accommodate development.

Carmarthenshire County Council's Unitary Development Plan was adopted in July 2006 and it recognises the importance of the LBAP and the need for strong environmental polices to protect and enhance the county's biodiversity. Polices are included within the deposit draft plan for the protection of designated sites, for example policies for the Sites of Special Scientific Interest and policies for Local Nature reserves and Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation, while other policies protect habitats and species that occur outside these designated areas.