Issue - meetings

The Panel are to receive a presentation on Alternative Land Management.

Executive Councillor: L Davenport-Ray

By means of a presentation by the Operations Manager Environmental Services (a copy of which was appended in the Minute Book) Alternative Land Management was presented to the Panel.

The Panel were given detailed presentation and background to the scheme by the Executive Councillor for Climate and Environment.

Following a question from Councillor Shaw, the Panel heard that the scheme would be constantly reviewed to see where improvements could be made but that the Council aspired to having 25% of the land it manages within the scheme by 2027.

Councillor Bywater commented that whilst he was in support of biodiversity throughout the district, but several concerns have arisen from residents which could have been managed with better communications. He expressed further concerns on how this scheme would work within urban areas and also gave examples of issues which had already arisen within his own ward. The Panel were assured that the team would continually monitor areas to ensure that residents and nature can exist in harmony, it was also expressed that by trialling the scheme now, assessments can be made later in the year about where this has been successful and where it has not. The Panel were further assured that if they were aware of specific issues, to pass those to the team so that they could be managed and resolved.

In response to a question from Councillor McAdam who expressed concerns over the scheme leading to an increase in fly tipping, the Panel heard that the Street Cleansing team do an excellent job across the district to manage this issue. They will continue to act on any reports of this activity and this will be reviewed at the end of the season to ascertain it’s impact.

Councillor Alban expressed concern that some parishes seemed more informed on the scheme than others and observed that this relationship needed to be developed to ensure open and two way communication links, however he also praised the forward and alternative thinking which had led to the schemes implementation.

Following a further concern from Councillor Alban, the Panel heard that the team collaborate with National Highways to ensure management of litter picking alongside roadside maintenance and mowing, however the safety of the team is paramount. In response to a further question on littering from Councillor Lowe, the Panel heard that the team regularly work with both volunteers and national campaigns to keep the district tidy and that the Waste Minimisation team undertake educational work.

The Panel heard, following a question from Councillor Shaw, that on balance the majority of feedback received so far has been positive along with constructive criticism.