The natural environment of Basingstoke and Deane

Green infrastructure (GI) is a network of natural areas and other green open spaces that is vital to the health and quality of life of people in local communities and supports and enhances natural and ecological processes.

It benefits the public and the environment by providing attractive environments for outdoor recreation and exercise. It creates a sense of place; biodiversity enhancement; and other environmental benefits such as natural drainage to reduce flooding and helping us adapt to climate change. It can be used to help protect and plan the natural environment.

The borough has a very good range of green infrastructure assets, including:

• Green Flag awarded parks in the heart of Basingstoke
• the Forestry Commission’s Basing Wood to the north of Popley
• some of the country’s most precious wildlife habitats
• many public rights of way
• accessible open countryside areas.

The types of green infrastructure and their benefits are not evenly distributed and the maximum benefits are not always realised. The council has a green infrastructure strategy to set out a framework to address this, and the latest version was approved by Cabinet in November 2018. A copy of the strategy and appendices can be viewed below.

Green Infrastructure Strategy 2018-29(PDF) [10 Mb]

Green Infrastructure Strategy Appendices A-E and G(PDF) [2 Mb]

Green Infrastructure Strategy Appendix F (part 1)(PDF) [5 Mb]

Green Infrastructure Strategy Appendix F (part 2)(PDF) [13 Mb]

Green Infrastructure Strategy Appendix F (part 3)(PDF) [13 Mb]

The council’s biodiversity strategy was approved by Cabinet in March 2024 It outlines how the council, working with partners, will move forward in responding to the declaration of an ecological emergency for the borough made at a meeting of Council on 14 October 2021.

The Biodiversity Strategy for Basingstoke and Deane 2023 to 2029 outlines how the organisation will support nature recovery in the borough and tackle the ecological emergency. It is essential this is done with the borough’s residents and our partners, so it has been prepared collaboratively with them and many of the actions will be done together. Key partners include Natural Basingstoke with whom we have a partnership agreement. It is split into three parts:

Part 1 - the Biodiversity Strategy: The strategy outlines the importance of biodiversity and its status in the borough, why it is important and its relevant legislation and policy. The strategy details the councils principles, objectives and priorities in regards to how it will act moving forward to protect and restore nature in the borough.

Below is a fully accessible version of the Biodiversity Strategy for Basingstoke and Deane 2023 to 2029:

Biodiversity Strategy for Basingstoke and Deane 2023 to 2029(PDF) [2 Mb]

Below is a printable version of the Biodiversity Strategy for Basingstoke and Deane 2023 to 2029 which is not fully accessible:

Biodiversity Strategy for Basingstoke and Deane 2023 to 2029(PDF) [3 Mb]

Part 3 - the Action Plan: updated annually, this action plan sets out how the council is turning words into actions.

Biodiversity Strategy for Basingstoke and Deane Action Plan(PDF) [766 kb]

Strengthened biodiversity duty

The Environment Act 2021 introduced a strengthened ‘biodiversity duty’ which requires all public authorities in England to consider what they can do to conserve and enhance biodiversity. How the council will be delivering and reporting on this can be found on the Strengthened Biodiversity Duty webpage.

Biodiversity Audit

The Council has commissioned a Biodiversity Audit of the Borough, produced by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust which is summarised below.

The borough sits at the apex between two geological areas and four river catchments feeding the Solent and the Thames. We straddle the river valleys and the lowlands of Hampshire and its chalk uplands in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. We look south down the River Test and north across the heathlands of North Hampshire and Berkshire and along the Enborne and Loddon rivers, the latter starting it’s journey across the landscape in Basingstoke town. This diversity is what makes the Borough so exceptional and such a fantastic place to live.

We host a significant portion (around a fifth) of Hampshire’s Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (locally important protected sites). Over 90% of the boroughs nationally designated sites are in favourable or favourable recovering condition, which is on par with the county as a whole. We have an enviable 20% tree cover whilst 30% of the Borough lies within a protected landscape. We host an important population of dormouse amongst this woodland and the substantial 4.3km of hedgerow per km². Our Borough supports some of the most nationally important populations of rare arable flora, a nationally important bat roost (Greywell tunnel) and notable butterfly populations.

However, the Borough’s wetlands and associated habitats fall below the national and regional averages. We support just 87ha of fen, marsh and swamp (0.1% of the borough) which compares unfavourably to a national 9% coverage. A defining characteristic of the Borough is the presence of three catchments (the Enborne, the Test and the Loddon) but the Test is subject to significant pressures from pollution incidents and the Loddon has been shown to have the worst phosphate levels in the country. Yet, we host a regionally important amphibian population and have key sites for dragonfly. Much of the Borough’s heathland has been lost, and due to a lack of international and national designation is far more subject to impacts and with less access to support and funding than its neighbours in the Thames Basin Heaths. We have 25% less priority coverage than the average in Hampshire and only 5% of the land is actively managed for nature, well below the national target of 30%.

The message is clear – we have some fantastic biodiversity features of real importance but we need to do more for our heathlands and wetlands and all their associated species. We are right in declaring an Ecological emergency, and we hope this strategy sets the tone moving forward.

Biodiversity Audit and Assessment Report - July 2024(PDF) [65 Mb]

Below is a printable version of the Biodiversity Strategy for Basingstoke and Deane 2023 to 2029 which is not fully accessible:

If you enjoy being outdoors in nature and want to keep fit, meet like-minded people and learn new skills, then conservation volunteering could be for you!

Take a look at our green space volunteering webpage for more information.

Hedgerows are a key feature of the British landscape providing shelter for livestock and crops, preventing soil erosion across fields by cutting down wind speed, providing a rich and varied wildlife habitat, offering shelter, a supply of food, and a route linking different habitats along which wildlife can travel. They are also important in defining field patterns and contributing to the visual character of the landscape.

The right hedge can be an ideal garden boundary and help to bring wildlife into your garden. The wrong hedge can cause you or your neighbours problems such as subsidence and loss of light. For more information on high hedges and how to get help with them visit our webpage.

Please take a look at our Hedgerows - a guide to their management leaflet, which sets out suggested guidelines for successful hedgerow management for wildlife.

Some Hedgerows identified in the Hedgerow Regulations are protected. A landowner must get permission to remove all or part of any hedgerow that fulfils the criteria and if one is removed without permission, the council, as the enforcing authority, can take enforcement action.

Further information can be found on the Hedgerow Regulations page.

For any other information relating to trees and hedges refer to the relevant webpage.

The council’s tree team works on preserving, planting and managing the safety of trees on council-owned land. We are responsible for managing an estimated 80,000 trees and 100 hectares of woodland. If a council-owned tree is overhanging your property find out more information about how to report it.

Council-owned trees

Some trees in the borough are important either because of their age or because of their prominence in the landscape. Where these trees are under threat we can step in to provide legal protection by making a Tree Preservation Order (TPO). Learn more about Protected trees in the borough.

For further info on advice on trees visit our FAQ webpage.

The Council has agreed a partnership with Hampshire County Council (HCC) and NatureSpace, along with other local authorities in Hampshire to deliver a District License Scheme for Great Crested Newts.

Refer to the District License Scheme on the GOV.UK website for more information.

If you want support from the council’s planning team on whether your application is likely to be eligible for the scheme prior to application, you can do so via a pre-application service.

For further information regards Great Crested Newt District Licence Scheme visit our webpage.

Introduced by the Environment Act 2021, Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are new plans for nature recovery. They are a key mechanism for planning and delivering the National Nature Recovery Network and will consist of:

• a map of the most valuable areas for wildlife
• opportunities to improve nature in the future
• local priorities

The Department of Environment Food & Rural Affairs has appointed Hampshire County Council (HCC) as the responsible authority for the Hampshire area. Working closely with supporting authorities, HCC has hosted a series of workshops and an online survey to gather insight from local experts, organisations and the public.

Once published, all local authorities must 'take account' of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Further details on how Basingstoke and Deane are achieving this to follow.

For more information visit the Hampshire County Council website

About 80 square miles of the central and western parts of the borough are designated as part of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape (formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)) - a national designation that seeks to protect the special qualities of the area), which extends into other districts beyond the borough boundary.

The North Wessex Downs National Landscape is managed by a partnership, known as the Council of Partners, of which the Council is a member. The partnership works to an agreed five-year management plan and oversees the work of the National Landscape team and guides how the Council can support preserving its natural beauty.

Parish wildlife map toolkit

We have assisted the Hampshire Wildlife Trust in producing a tool kit which will help local parishes with the preparation of parish wildlife maps. The map shows some of the key habitats and species within a parish, town or village boundary, created by surveys and background information. These maps can be linked to parish plans or village design statements or can help to identify ways to protect and enhance biodiversity locally. A copy of the tool kit can be downloaded below.

Parish Wildlife Map Toolkit(PDF) [2 Mb]

Parish pollinator pledge

Hampshire County Council (HCC) is developing its own pollinator strategy and action plan, which it hopes will become the catalyst for a wider partnership approach to securing a future for our pollinators. We want Hampshire to be a place for pollinators (such as bees, butterflies, wasps, flies, and beetles) to thrive, and for everyone to appreciate just how great they are.

To do this, HCC is looking for local councils or community groups to ‘pledge’ to take an active part in helping to improve their local environment for pollinators and also to help raise awareness among their community of the importance of pollinators. The Parish Pollinator Pledge initiative hopes to create a network of pollinator champions across the county who will be able to share ideas and stories and encourage others to take on their own actions to benefit pollinators.

HCC has provided a toolkit and supporting information. If you are a parish and want to make a difference for nature where you live, please do use these resources.

Guidance for parish and town councils

Bath and North East Somerset Council has produced guidance for parish and town councils that can be applied across any such organisations in England. The guidance outlines how councils can create nature action plans and is a useful reference guide for any parish council looking to support nature.

Below you will find links to a range of grants for environmental projects and to European Leader areas within the borough that provide funding to support rural economic enterprises and rural communities. Many of these grants will require some match funding, but in some cases this can be in-kind contributions such as volunteer time.

Grants for community initiatives

Community Heritage and Environment Fund (CHEF)
To improve the funding process, we have combined a number of grant schemes into a single scheme. From 2017/2018, project proposals that were previously considered through the CHEF should be directed to the Community Infrastructure Fund.

Awards for All
Grants of between £300 and £10,000 to help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need, including improved rural and urban environments - which communities are better able to access and enjoy. Find out more from The National Lottery Community Fund website.

Grants for projects in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape

Sustainable Development Fund (SDF)
Grants, typically up to £5,000, but exceptionally up to £25,000 for projects that help to deliver the North Wessex Downs National Landscape management plan. The SDF aims to develop and test new ways of achieving a more sustainable way of life in this area of great beauty and diversity. The SDF is currently closed for applications.

For further information, visit the North Wessex Downs website.

North Wessex Downs LEADER
Funding for farmers, foresters, rural communities and other rural businesses to assist projects that will:

• help make farming and forestry become more environmentally sustainable and economically viable
  
• strengthen rural communities and improve quality of life
  
• promote local food
  
• encourage the use of wood fuel.

Whilst funding applications are closed at the moment for the LEADER programme, visit the North Wessex Downs LEADER website which gives information on the future plans for it.

View a map of the North Wessex Downs and Loddon LEADER areas (opens in a new window) (PDF) [182kb]. Although the map is centred around the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane, both projects extend beyond our boundaries. Please visit the North Wessex Downs LEADER website to find further information.

Information on other grants may be obtained by visiting our grants webpage.