Purpose

To seek approval to undertake statutory
consultation on the Consultation Draft of the LNRS from early
Summer 2025.

Decision

Approval for the commencement of the statutory
public consultation phase of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy
(LNRS) development, upon receiving confirmation from the five
supporting authorities through the pre-consultation
phase.

Reasons for the decision

Through the development of the Local Nature
Recovery Strategy, it is a requirement that a pre-consultation
phase be launched with supporting authorities, prior to the
statutory public consultation phase. Therefore, in accordance with
the statutory requirements placed upon the Council as the
responsible authority, authority to commence the statutory public
consultation is recommended.

Alternative options considered

N/A- it is statutory requirement to follow the
LNRS regulations and guidance set out by DEFRA and so no
alternative options have been considered.