Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Shropshire Council has been asked by the government to lead on the production of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, with the support of Natural England and Telford & Wrekin Council. Our local strategy is one of 48 others being developed across England which will all knit together to cover the whole country as outlined in a Defra video.

We're working together with partners, landowners, farmers, environmental professionals, community groups, businesses and other stakeholders to develop a LNRS which will show where our most valuable areas for nature currently are, and explore the opportunities to restore, enhance, create and link wildlife throughout the area.

Our LNRS will provide the overarching plan of priorities to restore nature in our area and where this is best to happen, whilst also delivering wider environmental benefits such as better water quality and resilience to flooding. Organisations and individuals can then use the strategy to help deliver the overall plan in a coherent and collaborative way.

Get involved

For the Local Nature Recovery Strategy to be effective it needs to be owned by those who live and work in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

The process of developing the strategy is just as important as the strategy itself. There will be broad engagement with interested stakeholders during the strategy development process. Without effective engagement, particularly from those who own and manage land, the impact of the strategy would be significantly limited.

There will be opportunities for interested individuals and organisation to engage at various stages through the process, which will be widely publicised.

Lynn Parker has recently been appointed as the LNRS co-ordinator. Lynn is a share farmer in the Clun Valley and has a background in biodiversity net gain and biodiversity action plans. 

If you'd like to know more, get involved or be added to the mailing list email L.Parker@shropshire.gov.uk.

Timeline

  • Spring 2024 - initial mapping and awareness raising
  • Summer 2024 - focused engagement events
  • Late autumn 2024 - public consultation
  • Spring 2025 - adopted strategy

Steering group

The steering group exists to support and guide the development of the LNRS. Members are:

  • Shropshire Council (the responsible authority)
  • Natural England (supporting authority)
  • Telford and Wrekin Council (supporting authority)
  • Country Land and Business Association
  • Environment Agency
  • Forestry Commission
  • National Farmers Union
  • Shropshire Hills National Landscape
  • Shropshire Wildlife Trust

Funding

There is funding to develop the LNRS, but currently not an additional funding stream to implement the strategy. We're looking to work with partners interested in taking action, and may be able to help direct people to relevant funding sources. 

The LNRS will help to direct government funding streams, including for farmers and landowners, as well as feeding into local plan development and informing where biodiversity net gain would be best placed.

Biodiversity net gain is a new requirement for most planning applications to ensure habitat for wildlife is in a better state than it was before development.

The best source of funds for landowners / managers is via agri-environment schemes. The Gov.UK website has a wealth of information about the grants that are currently available.

The Wildlife Trust’s Nextdoor Nature Hub is also a useful source of funds for those interested in carrying out activities with a focus on nature.