Wiltshire & Swindon Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Wiltshire Council are leading the LNRS process for Wiltshire.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are a mechanism to deliver nature's recovery at a local and regional scale as introduced in the legislation.gov.uk: Environment Act 2021 - Local nature recovery strategies Section 106. The Wiltshire and Swindon Local Nature Recovery Strategy will consist of a document containing biodiversity priorities and a habitat map which will inform and guide nature recovery across Wiltshire.

The Local Nature Recovery Strategy will:

• agree priorities for nature's recovery
• map the most valuable existing areas for nature
• map specific proposals for creating or improving habitat for nature and wider environmental goals

For further information, read GOV.UK: Policy paper - Local nature recovery strategies.

Great Britain is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world with nearly one in six species threatened with extinction. The UK's comprehensive Report on the UK’s current biodiversity (stateofnature.org.uk)(opens new window), report shows that wildlife is continuing to decline, largely due to the continuing intensification of human land use which, alongside climate change is resulting in a loss of the biodiversity we rely on and action is urgently needed.

By mapping where important habitats can be conserved, restored and connected, Wiltshire and Swindon's LNRS will allow effort and funding to be funnelled into the most important areas, supporting Nature Recovery across the landscape. The LNRS can also help to achieve the multiple environmental benefits that nature brings to people, such as: clean air and water, reduced flood risk and socio-economic benefits such tourism or green prescribing.

When completed, our local LNRS will be knitted together with the LNRS's created by the 48 Responsible Authorities across England to form a National Nature Recovery Network.

Current status and next steps

The first draft of the LNRS has now entered the consultation process. On 20 January it will be sent to supporting authorities: Swindon, The New Forest National Park Authority, and Natural England. They will have 28 days to make their comments or raise an objection, after which the public consultation is planned to start on 4 March. Webinars are planned for March so please remember to Subscribe for LNRS updates(opens new window) to receive notifications.

emocratic processes and sign off 

Actions and dates:

• Supporting authority sign-off, 20 January to 16 February
  
  • Swindon Borough Council, The New Forest National Park Authority, and Natural England will comment and sign off the LNRS going to Public Consultation
• Formal Public Consultation, planned for 4 March to 13 April (subject to change)
  
  • Opportunity for the public to comment on the LNRS
• Full Council sign-off, planned for 22 July (subject to change)
  
  • The LNRS will go through the Environment Select Committee, Cabinet, and then to Full Council to sign off on council adoption of the LNRS
• Fully adopted LNRS sent to DEFRA

More details on these steps will be provided as we undertake them. If you have any queries about the strategy or our work, email localnaturerecoverystrategy@wiltshire.gov.uk(opens new window).

First draft of the LNRS Map 

The Wiltshire and Swindon Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) team have worked closely with stakeholders since early 2024 looking at how we can produce a usable LRNS, identifying your priorities and proposals for nature recovery, preparing draft priorities and measures (what needs to be done to aid nature's recovery), and we have now started mapping areas in Swindon and Wiltshire where future nature improvement projects should be provided to give nature the best chance for recovery.

View the draft LNRS Map on ArcGIS: Wiltshire's Local Natural Recovery Strategy map(opens new window) 
When reviewing the first draft LNRS Map, it's important to keep in mind that:

• the map attempts to show only the best places to undertake nature recovery. It does not attempt to factor in other considerations that may make the location undesirable.
• the mapped locations should not be thought of as the only locations where the measures should be deployed, but merely the best places.

Wiltshire Council are running an online survey to gather feedback on the accuracy of our first draft LNRS Map and supporting text. We will consider all responses and, where appropriate, use them to make improvements to the map before it is subject to full consultation in February 2025.

Please spend a few minutes completing the survey  LNRS Feedback Survey. 

The Mapping produced from the shortlisted priorities and measures will be purely data driven. Therefore, the map will only be as accurate as the data we have.  This means that we need people who truly know their local area to comment and provide feedback to improve our map and to help us identify further opportunities where appropriate.

After Ground truthing events and the writing of the strategy the project moves into democratic sign off processes. This will consist of:

• Supporting authority sign offs - Swindon Council and The New Forest National Protected Area) will comment and sign off the LNRS
• Formal Public Consultation –formal consultation process to the public on the LNRS.
• Natural England copy – the consultation copy of the LNRS will go to Natural England for their comments.
• Council Sign off – the LNRS will go through the Environment Select Committee, Cabinet and then to Full Council to sign off on council adoption of the LNRS
• Fully adopted LNRS sent to DEFRA

More details on these steps will be provided as we undertake them..

Please email localnaturerecoverystrategy@wiltshire.gov.uk if you have any queries related to this work.

Wiltshire and Swindon's LNRS Governance

We have set up and appointed members to an oversight, and steering group who meet on a regular basis to assist in progressing the LNRS.

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