Revised Deposit Plan - Wychavon District Council

Section 4 - Protecting The Environment
4.1. Introduction
4.1.1. The first part of this section contains Policies which seek to protect and
enhance the environmental quality of the District. The District contains a
number of environmental “assets” which contribute to the quality of its
environment. These include its landscapes, its range of habitat types which
sustain a wealth of biodiversity (the range of plant and animal life) and cultural
assets such as historic buildings, features and landscapes. The quality and
diversity of these “assets” contribute enormously to the quality of the District’s
environment and to the quality of life of residents. They also help to attract
businesses to this area which provides economic opportunities. Policies in the
Plan seek to protect and enhance these assets not only for their own sake and
for the benefit of future generations but also for the contribution they make to
the social and economic well being of the area.
4.1.2. Whilst many of these “assets” are of outstanding quality - reflected by the
range of international and national designations applied to important examples
of landscape, habitats, species and buildings, the District also contains a
wealth of environmental assets which are more common place but which,
nevertheless, contribute to its environmental quality. In their entirety these
assets reflect a “stock” of environmental resources or “capital”. Policies in the
Plan aim to ensure that there is no overall loss of these resources by
protecting those which are irreplaceable and by ensuring that any loss of wider
resources is compensated for.
4.1.3. The second half of the section addresses wider issues of environmental
quality. It contains Policies which address the environmental impact of
pollution and to ensure the avoidance of hazards.
4.2. Protecting Existing Assets
POLICY ENV1 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER
Proposals for development must demonstrate that they are informed by
and sympathetic to landscape character. Proposals will be required to
conserve and/ respect or enhance the character of the land and the built
environment the area in which they are proposed. Development
proposals will be permitted where:
a) the landscape has they are within the capacity of the landscape to
accommodate the proposal without causing unacceptable visual
harm or degradation to its character;
b) the landscape has the capacity to accommodate the type of use and
proposed activity levels individually or cumulatively are within the
capacity of the landscape to accommodate, without an unacceptable
effect on its character;
c) the siting, scale design and layout of schemes safeguards and/or
strengthens each of the elements which contribute to the character
and local distinctiveness of the locality or wider area.
Wychavon District Local Plan Revised Deposit (July 2003) Page 61
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