Recreational Mitigation Strategy
Mitigation for Recreational Impacts on New Forest European sites Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
Read the Mitigation Strategy (PDF, 1 MB)
You can also view a web version of the strategy.
This SPD was adopted on 5 May 2021 and provides guidance on the implementation of Policy ENV1: Mitigating the impact of development on International Nature Conservation sites in the Local Plan 2016-2036 Part 1: Planning Strategy.
An Adoption Statement (PDF, 100 KB) has been prepared which accompanies the SPD.
Visit our Current Developer Contributions towards Recreational Habitat Mitigation page to find the current recreational mitigation contributions.
What this SPD does
The recreational pressures arising from residential development within our Plan Area have a potentially harmful impact on the internationally important nature conservation sites within the New Forest. To comply with both national and international legislation to protect the designated sites, measures need to be taken to ensure adverse effects on the integrity of protected sites from recreational impacts is avoided or mitigated. Our Local Plan policy, supported by this supplementary guidance, provides a mitigation strategy to address these issues.
The SPD sets out the strategy using a suite of measures either provided by, or funded by, residential development within our Plan area to provide the required mitigation. It also sets out design guidance for how on-site recreation mitigation should be provided as part of new development.
It replaces the 'Mitigation Strategy for European Sites: Recreational Pressure from Residential Development (PDF, 4 MB)' previously adopted by the Council in June 2014.
Consultation period
As part of the document's preparation, a six-week consultation period took place closing on 21 February 2021. A schedule of all the responses received has been prepared, with a further schedule available summarising the comments and how they were taken in to account by the Council in the final document adopted. Comments made on the preliminary draft of this SPD, published in June 2018 can also be viewed.
The Mitigation for Recreational Impacts SPD is focused solely on the recreational impacts on the New Forest European Sites. Addressing the impacts on the Southampton Water and Solent Coast European Sites is dealt with by the separate Solent Recreation Mitigation Strategy.
The following documents are available to view:
Mitigation for Recreational Impacts on New Forest European sites SPD (PDF, 1 MB)
Mitigation for Recreational Impacts SPD Adoption Statement (PDF, 100 KB)
Mitigation for Recreational Impacts SPD Consultation Statement (PDF, 134 KB)
Draft Mitigation for Recreational Impacts SPD 2021 - Schedule of Responses (PDF, 2 MB)
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