Local Priority Habitats: Key objectives

• Raise awareness of the significance and importance of priority habitats
• Review the extent and condition of priority habitats in Barnsley, including surveys for selected sites.
• Collect and analyse records of populations and assemblages of wildlife species for priority habitats with additional surveys in selected sites.
• Ensure that sites with priority habitat of significant conservation value are protected through statutory or local designation. [SSSI or LWS]
• Bring sites with identified priority habitat into positive conservation management and favourable condition.
• Create and extend priority habitat where appropriate and significant priority habitat would not be lost or harmed
• Create and maintain wildlife corridors to connect priority habitat sites in a nature recovery network.

Roles:

Land owners and managers:

• follow best practice in managing sites with priority habitats
• take up opportunities to restore and enhance sites with priority habitats
• create and extend priority habitats where appropriate.

Barnsley Council is a land owner and manager and in addition has other roles.

Barnsley Council as planning authority:

• sets conditions in planning applications to ensure that priority habitats’  biodiversity value is maintained and enhanced

Natural England:

• administers countryside stewardship and environmental land management schemes
• undertakes statutory designation and protection of sites with significant habitat
• sets conditions to protect biodiversity and issues licenses
• provides guidance and standing advice

Forestry Commission

• licenses felling and approves woodland management plans
• provides guidelines and sets conditions to protect biodiversity.

Environment Agency protects and improves the environment by

• by regulating major industry, waste and water quality as well as fisheries
• managing the risk of flooding from main rivers and reservoirs

Conservation Bodies provide advice and may offer grants

Voluntary groups and volunteers:

• help with priority habitat conservation
• collect information about condition of priority habitats and provide records of wildlife.

Achievements

• The Local Plan adopted in 2019 protects designated sites and ancient woodland and green space and has specific conditions for allocated development sites to protect and conserve biodiversity.
• Biodiversity Supplementary Planning Document published 2019
• Barnsley Biological Record Centre established to collect and make available records of important sites, habitats and wildlife species.
• Phase 1 habitat mapping has been undertaken across Barnsley.
• Panel set up to designate, review and monitor  Local Wildlife Sites (LWS).There has been an increase in the number of designated LWS since 2010
• Lower Dearne Valley Nature Improvement Area iestablished. 2012
• Dearne Valley,Wetlands SSSI designation. 2021/22

Marking progress:

• Extent and condition of local priority habitats
• Local Priority Habitats created
• Corridors between priority habitat sites established
• Sites with Local Priority Habitats in positive conservation management
• Sites with Local Priority Habitats in favourable condition
• Populations and assemblages of wildlife species typical of priority habitats in favourable condition.

Proposed actions

• Establish and maintain inventories of
• Sites with significant priority habitat.
• Sites for potential priority habitat creation or extension.
• Sites for potential green corridors linking priority habitats.
• Carry out nature recovery and natural capital mapping
• Carry out priority habitat creation
• Carry out priority habitat conservation in line with management plans
• Analysis of records of wildlife species in priority habitats in a rolling programme. Every 5 years
• Agree and carry out prioritised LWS designation.

Actions for Priority Habitats