Development in the Chiltern Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation
The Chiltern Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation includes 9 separate sites in the Chiltern Hills and spreads across 3 counties.
The Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is an internationally recognised designation with habitats and species of significant ecological importance.
The relevant sites to Buckinghamshire are:
- the Ashridge Commons and Woods Sites of Special Scientific Interest
- the Tring Woodlands Site of Special Scientific Interest
Limits to residential development
As part of its emerging local plan, Dacorum Borough Council has found evidence that additional residential development in Chiltern Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation will lead to more visitors and an increase in adverse activities such as trampling, mountain biking and dog fouling.
To limit this impact, a habitat regulations assessment (HRA) is now needed for any development that results in an additional home within the 'zone of influence' of the Special Area of Conservation.
You can see the affected areas by viewing the zones of influence on dacorum.gov.uk.
How these restrictions could affect your planning application
We'll carry out an initial screening assessment of your application. This helps us decide if the development is likely to have a significant effect on the Chiltern Beeches Special Area of Conservation.
The assessment will consider the nature, scale and location of the development and we will carry out any relevant reviews.
The new restrictions will affect applications:
- for full planning permission
- for outline planning permission
- for reserved matters
- for prior approval / permitted development rights
- that are subject to appeal
- under section 73 of The Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended)
- where there is a resolution to grant planning permission but where a formal decision has not been issued (eg subject to satisfactory completion of a legal agreement)
Chiltern Beechwoods SAC Mitigation Strategy
The Mitigation Strategy document sets out an interim mitigation strategy to avoid adverse public access and disturbance impacts from development on the integrity of the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC at Ashridge Commons and Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This interim mitigation strategy will be reviewed as part of the new Local Plan for Buckinghamshire.
Part A of this document provides common guidance for the planning areas of Dacorum Borough Council, Buckinghamshire Council, Central Bedfordshire Council and St. Albans City and District Council. More specifically it relates to land within and on the edge of the 12.6 kilometre zone of influence (the zone within which mitigation will be required for net new residential development or equivalent) that extends from Ashridge Commons and Woods SSSI.
Part B of this document provides further guidance that is specific to each of the authorities.
Read the Mitigation Strategy document (PDF, 2.50 MB)
Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG)
Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) is the name given to arrangements for the addition of recreational space that allows residents of new homes to avoid additional ecological disturbance to Special Areas of Conservation.
Kingsbrook Meadows
A Strategic SANG, Kingsbrook Meadows at Aylesbury, has now been approved and allows us to start reviewing applications which have requested and would qualify for mitigation using SANG credit from this SANG.
The applications that qualify include either:
- applications for 9 or less dwellings within the 12.6km Zone of Influence
- applications for 10 or more dwellings within a 5km catchment area of the Kingsbrook Meadow SANG
Planning case officers will contact applicants that qualify for credit allocations to the approved SANG at Kingsbrook Meadows. The SANG is to be delivered in 3 phases.
Kingsbrook Meadows Phase 1: Capacity available
| Area | SAMM contribution (excluding indexation) | Kingsbook Meadows SANG contribution (excluding indexation) |
|---|---|---|
| North and Central areas | £566.23 per dwelling | £5,314.57 per dwelling |
| East areas | £87.03 per dwelling | £5,314.57 per dwelling |
The fees will be reviewed and adjusted each year in line with inflation.
Further information and FAQs
This page includes documents containing maps. Some of these documents may not be accessible.
For more information, or to request an accessible version of any document, contact [email protected].
For further detail and guidance we've published a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) (PDF, 1.11MB)
As part of the background work on SANGs, we reviewed the potential SANG options.
View this review of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspaces (SANG) sites PDF, 594KB.
View the appendices for the SANG review PDF, 12.2MB.
Contact the planning team
You can contact our planning service by emailing [email protected]