LNRS regulations and statutory guidance
The much anticipated LNRS regulations and statutory guidance were laid before Parliament on 23 March 2023 and the government response to the LNRS consultation has also been published. These regulations and statutory guidance provide helpful clarification of the process for preparing LNRSs and the content to enable high quality and consistent LNRSs across England. Key points include:
- LNRS regulations set out the role of the responsible authority and the requirements to follow when preparing their LNRS including consultation, publication, review and re-publication.
- LNRS statutory guidance explains the content of a LNRS and provides a step-by-step process for responsible authorities to guide the process including public consultation, sign off and periodic review.
- The regulations establish a new supporting authority role in assisting the responsible authority, encouraging collaboration and engagement with local partners.
- New powers for responsible authority to request information from other planning authorities to support mapping all local wildlife sites within the strategy area.
- Rules for review and publication for all LNRSs will be received at the same time, expected every 3-10 years
LNRS will help meet EIP targets including 30% of land protected and effectively managed by 2030 and 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat created or restored outside of protected sites, contributing to ambitions to build a Nature Recovery Network.
What’s next for LNRS?
The government published a LNRS press release on 30th June 2023 outlining the purpose of LNRS and how the strategies will be delivered across England. Information on the geographical LNRS areas and the responsible authority leading the preparation of each strategy can be found here - GOV.UK.
For further information on LNRS and ambitions to deliver the national Nature Recovery Network please refer to Natural England’s blog: Blueprints for nature’s recovery: all systems go! - Natural England (blog.gov.uk)
Natural England as a named ‘supporting authority’ will help to quality assure each LNRS and continue to support Liverpool City Region Combined Authority prepare the LNRS and engage with partners across the Liverpool City Region. Natural England will also be helping to monitor LNRS and track the progress of responsible authorities against a number of performance indicators. This will help to ensure any barriers or issues are escalated and resolved early on in the LNRS preparation process.