Purpose

The purpose of this report is to meet the Council’s statutory obligation under the Environment Act 2021 to publish a biodiversity duty report. This first report outlines the actions Thanet District Council has taken from January 2024 to March 2025 to conserve and enhance biodiversity across its services. It provides a stocktake of progress, identifies areas for improvement, and proposes actions for the 2025–2030 period. The report demonstrates how biodiversity is being integrated across departments, embedded in planning and development processes, and promoted through community engagement, education, and land management. This report will inform strategic priorities, future policy development, and annual monitoring processes. a biodiversity duty report. The report also provides a foundation for embedding biodiversity into corporate decision-making and service delivery.

Decision

Cabinet agree to:

1. Approve the identified future actions for service areas set out in the report, to support continued compliance with the statutory biodiversity duty;
2. Endorse the continued development of a Green Infrastructure Strategy and the integration of biodiversity considerations into planning policy, procurement,

regeneration, and service delivery;

1. Agree to monitor progress annually and review the frequency and content of biodiversity reporting in June 2026, based on evolving legislation, data availability, and local priorities.

Reasons for the decision

To meet the Council’s statutory obligation under the Environment Act 2021 to publish a biodiversity duty report. The report also provides a foundation for embedding biodiversity into corporate decision-making and service delivery.

Alternative options considered

There is no statutory alternative to producing this report. The Council could have opted for minimal compliance but instead chose to develop a more comprehensive, cross-service evaluation. Failure to produce this report would breach legal obligations and miss an opportunity to align biodiversity with corporate priorities.