Decision

That the amendment to the Occombe Farm and Scadson Woods Local Nature Reserve boundary, as set out in Appendix 2 to the submitted report, be approved with any necessary declaration and associated requirements being made.

Reasons for the decision

The Council sold the land at Occombe Farm in July 2026 and committed to use reasonable efforts to secure re-designation of the Local Nature Reserve (LNR) regarding the land sold, in order to meet the expectation that the land forming LNR should be under the control of the party who designated it.  The proposed amendment to the boundary reflects the change in ownership and has been informed by an independent ecological assessment and consultation with Natural England.  The majority of the LNR will remain in place and will continue to be managed for wildlife, education and recreation.

Alternative options considered

The alternative option would be for Occombe Farm to remain designated as an LNR.  If the LNR designation were to remain, agreement would need to be reached with the landowner and the land would need to be managed as a LNR alongside the new landowners’ aspirations for the site.