Biodiversity action plan 2025
The aims for this strategy are:
- supporting the Nature Recovery Declaration 2024 Aims
- delivering on the Resident Survey 2023 top priorities and actions
- biodiversity loss due to habitat destruction
Key priorities
Nature recovery
Protecting, expanding, connecting, and restoring habitats is vital in ensuring the health and diversity of our ecosystems. Supporting our most threatened species and minimising environmental harm are essential in delivering the Council’s strategic priority: A High Quality Place, Adapted for Climate Change.
Climate resilience
Assessing risks and vulnerabilities of the Borough in the face of climate change and mitigating those risks through adaptation measures and nature-based solutions, ensuring a focus on equitable outcomes for communities. Creating resilient systems in this way is essential for delivering on the Council’s strategic priority: A High Quality Place, Adapted for Climate Change.
Biodiversity action plan
A) Nature recovery, council land
Planning
A1. Identify key habitat areas from Making Space for Nature habitat maps & guided by Kent County Council's Local Nature Recovery Strategy, to influence parks and open spaces management plans for habitat protection.
A2. Carry out the feasibility assessment of off-site BNG sites already identified and consider additional sites where possible.
A3. Produce a policy statement on the use of native species in all planting schemes.
A4. Increase protected or recognised status sites, such as through the creation of local nature reserves.
A5. Design and delivery of a propagation programme within the Parks Team for the reintroduction of local endangered species.
2025 Budget: £81,500
Delivery
A6. Increase tree cover by 5% per year and hedgerows by 10% per year through a strategic planting plan, designed to mitigate soil erosion and promote nature recovery through habitat creation in areas of deficiency.
A7. Deliver the Parks and Open Spaces Plan and Biodiversity Delivery Plan through design and implementation of bespoke management plans for green spaces to ensure environmental and community needs are balanced and nature recovery is fully embedded in the individual actions.
A8. Create new wetlands within Maidstone’s parks and open spaces and support improvements to waterways in the Borough.
A9. Use of Maidstone Borough Council open space to trial community-managed green space initiatives such as food forests or community orchards.
A10. Extend the No Mow May initiative across other open spaces and parks with the installation of interpretation boards to explain the benefits and encourage others to follow the initiative.
A11. Deliver phase 2 of the Town Centre greening project with design and installation of pocket park(s) incorporating sustainable underground drainage.
2025 Budget: £232,500
A) Nature recovery, borough land
Engagement
A12. Provide, promote and monitor a Nature Recovery Fund to support communities delivering projects to protect and restore habitats and wildlife across the Borough.
A13. Promote the increase of wild verges across the Borough & reduce pesticide use (including glyphosate).
A14. Promote peat-free practice through engagement with landowners, community groups and conservation organisations to demonstrate the environmental impact.
2025 Budget: £488,500
Collaboration
A15. Partner with other agencies, landowners, specialist organisations, and groups to identify opportunities for rewilding, flood protection, and habitat restoration projects, to share knowledge and expertise to deliver them.
A16. Work with Parishes to extend Dark Sky policies to reduce light pollution across the Borough.
2025 Budget: £0
Regulation
A17. Ensure the landscape character assessment supplement is complied with in planning decisions using conditions and enforcement.
A18. Develop an exemplar provision of Green & Blue Infrastructure within all strategic sites allocated for development within Maidstone Local Plans, by covering this topic in detail within the respective Supplementary Planning Guidance Document (SPD) for each strategic site. To include criteria for biodiversity and % semi-natural open space, in conjunction with Spatial Planning & Parks & Open Spaces Team.
A19. Measure and enforce BNG in new developments to the adopted 20% standard, accessing our planning ecologist as required.
A20. Explore policy with defined criteria for Maidstone Borough Council compulsory stewardship or purchase of key or threatened habitats, such as ancient woodland, or consideration of sale or gifting of land to charitable trusts for the purposes of conservation and protection.
A21. Identify deficiencies in green space access, mapped against socioeconomic indicators to prioritise future requirements in planning redevelopment.
2025 Budget: £25,000
B) Climate resilience, council land
Planning
B1. Identify locations for urban centre greening to mitigate heat hotspots.
B2. Determine baseline water usage for Maidstone Borough Council owned buildings built before 2009 and investigate retrofit options to improve water efficiency standards to 110 litres per person per day.
B3. Adoption of a remediation plan for soil restoration on contaminated sites owned by Maidstone Borough Council.
B4. Identify opportunities for symbiotic species projects, such as the use of soil fungi to increase plant nutrient uptake, in line with the Nature Recovery Fund.
B5. Incorporate fire management planning into Maidstone Borough Council parks and open space management plans.
B6. Incorporate SUDs into Earl Street and other public realm improvements to capture, store and use water to support greening opportunities and urban tree planting and mitigate surface flooding.
2025 Budget: £44,000
Delivery
B7.Deliver a partnership project on the reintroduction of flagship or vulnerable species into Maidstone Borough Council's spaces.
B8. Installation of rainwater harvesting at Maidstone Borough Council sites to use for local irrigation.
2025 Budget: £12,500
B) Climate resilience, borough land
Engagement
B9. Carry out targeted intervention with vulnerable groups to improve uptake in grants and funding, such as ECO Flex, to carry out energy efficiency upgrades and climate mitigation measures for residents.
B10. Create developer guidance on cost savings and environmental benefits (including nutrient neutrality) for including wastewater wetlands onsite.
B11. Actively participate in catchment-wide working groups to address and discuss water quality and flood mitigation actions.
2025 Budget: £19,000
Collaboration
B12. Work in partnership to deliver local projects focused on climate mitigation in the Borough.
B13. Identify flood plain restoration projects and opportunities to slow river flow, and work with partner agencies to secure funding for implementation.
2025 Budget: £150,000
Regulation
B14. Apply the Maidstone Borough Council corporate climate change risk profile to planning guidance and decisions.
B15. Update Development Plans to include consideration for predicted climate change impacts and provide sustainability guidance as required, and make planning policy decisions based on Emergency Planning and Resilience Climate Impact Assessments.
B16. Enforce water efficiency standards for all new builds to 110l/p/d.
2025 Budget: £0