Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is working closely with Nottinghamshire County Council and other partners on the development of Nottinghamshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy. 

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) are a new system of spatial strategies established by the Environment Act 2021. The main aim of LNRSs is to establish priorities for nature recovery and identify suitable locations where habitat can be created or improved to help reverse the ongoing decline of nature.  

Delivery of the local strategies will contribute to the national Nature Recovery Network and the LNRS will also help inform delivery of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) linked to new development and help shape local planning policy for nature recovery. 

There are 48 LNRSs across England and Nottinghamshire County Council was appointed by DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to be the Responsible Authority to lead on the development of the LNRS for Nottinghamshire and the City of Nottingham. 

We are delighted to be a key stakeholder and to have had a hand in shaping the draft Strategy but it is now vital the farmers and other landowners and the wider public have their say to help ensure it delivers for communities as well as nature.  

Work on the strategy in Nottinghamshire began in late 2023 and now a formal, six-week public consultation will be launched on Tuesday 6 May inviting residents, farmers, landowners and environmental organisations to comment on the draft LNRS document. 

The consultation will close on Monday 16 June. 

Wayne Bexton, the county council’s Director of Economy, Environment and Assets, said: “The Local Nature Recovery Strategy will set out the most important actions for nature recovery which can be taken by the county, city and district councils, partner organisations and by Nottinghamshire residents. 

“We would like to thank everyone who took part in the strategy’s development work last year and that has been factored into the draft plan which is now going out for public consultation. 

“I know nature and the environment mean a lot to the people of Nottinghamshire and I would encourage anyone who feels passionately about our county’s natural habitats and the future of them find out more about the opportunities for nature in the LNRS strategy and how they can help to support it. 

Paul Wilkinson, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Chief Executive, said: “Over the past 60 years Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and others have helped protect and enhance some of the most important places for nature in our county, but the scale of the ecological and climate crises means we must take a more radical and urgent approach. 

“Nature has been squeezed out and it is no longer enough to protect what wildlife we have left. We must create much more space for wildlife to thrive and Local Nature Recovery Strategies are vital tools to helping secure nature recovery at scale. 

“We depend on the natural world for our survival and increasingly need people to act for wildlife as well as be inspired by it. Helping to shape the Local Nature Recovery Strategy is a great way to act for nature here in Nottinghamshire and an important step to helping secure a wilder future for everyone." 

Residents, farmers, landowners and organisations will be able to put forward their views via an online consultation system. Further details about the LNRS and the consultation can be found on the Nottinghamshire County Council website.

There will also be an LNRS information stand at the Green Hustle Festival, Old Market Square, Nottingham, on Saturday 31 May – where the Trust will also have a stand.  

The final LNRS will go through the required approval processes at the county council before publication, which is anticipated in autumn 2025.