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The Babergh countryside has a variety of wildlife habitats, ranging from the Stour and Orwell Estuaries designated for their international importance as wetlands, to numerous County Wildlife Sites throughout the District, and identified for their regional biodiversity value. The Council`s aim is to conserve and enhance this important natural environment and to increase public awareness, appreciation and understanding of it.
The Babergh Local Plan Alteration No.2 provides the planning policy framework for the protection and enhancement of its countryside, specifically in Chapters 2, 6 and 8.
Background
The British countryside has seen many changes over the centuries, and the current situation is a result of man`s long term impact on the environment. After the Second World War the need to produce more of our own food and not rely on imports was recognised. There has been a significant loss of landscape features and wildlife habitats due mainly to a combination of agricultural intensification, new development and increased traffic, particularly in the arable areas of East Anglia.
The care of the countryside is high on the agenda of a number of interested organisations, and the Council works in partnership with many of them. The Council is an important player in its countryside due to its responsibility for controlling development through the Town and Country Planning system.
Outside of the planning system, its approach to the countryside is explained in the Countryside Strategy. |