In this guide we have identified the range of opportunities for biodiversity in sustainable communities. Each opportunity requires management and resourcing in order to realise their potential, requiring consideration at a number of key stages:

Planning and design – Designing ecologically functional greenspaces requires specific knowledge and expertise. This will need to be taken into consideration in the selection of appropriate landscape architects. If specific habitats and species require protection then it may be necessary to minimise intrusion and disturbance by incorporating buffer areas and imposing access restrictions. Proposals are likely to require approval by the Local Authority and statutory consultees. Licenses may be required if species need to be moved (translocated), although this should always be a last resort.

Construction – If specific habitats and species are legally protected then they will require consideration as part of the construction process. The timing and extent of each development phase may require careful planning, related to seasons and statutory requirements. Site traffic and earthworks create a particular risk of disturbance and specific care may need to taken due, for example, to the extent of foraging areas.

Ecological features may need to be created at an early stage. For example, at Warrington New Town, woodland areas were planted up to six years in advance (Case Study 2, Section 3.4). Whilst this incurs upfront costs, it can add value to properties, can help minimise damage to immature vegetation and allows it more time to establish.

Appointment of an on-site ecologist, or ‘ecological clerk of works’, can help ensure that due consideration is given during programming, as employed at Cambourne near Cambridge and as proposed for Portishead Ashlands, near Bristol (see Case Study). Advice may also be available from local Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB, Biological Records Centres and Community Forest projects.

Ongoing management – Opportunities to enhance biodiversity can be maximised by creating more ecologically self-sustaining habitats. The techniques required will need to be set out in a management plan. This will also need to cover recreational uses. Nature reserves and community forests are likely to require their own management plan to resolve potentially conflicting uses.

Establishing ecologically functional landscapes and habitats may initially require more intensive management. However, they have the potential to reduce maintenance costs over the long-term. This approach requires skilled personnel and provision should be made accordingly. Where more extensive areas are covered a dedicated ranger service may be appropriate, also delivering wider community benefits such as educational programmes.

Long-term resourcing – The resourcing of ongoing management requires consideration from the outset. Revenue funding can be secured in a number of different ways relating to specific sites or community-wide greenspaces:

1. Land trust – Greenspaces across a whole community can be managed by a dedicated charitable trust. This can be endowed with profits or vested with assets. It can also help capture future Section 106 contributions. Successful examples are Hampstead Garden Suburb (see Case Study 2, Section 4.2) and the Milton Keynes Park Trust. Regional Parks, such as Nene Park in Peterborough, and Community Forests such as Marston Vale (Case Study 2, Section 3.2) also use this model.
   
2. Service charge – Residents can be required to pay a ground rent, essentially a service charge. This approach has been used for more recent attempts to create new communities such as Linden Home’s Caterham Barracks scheme, which has also established a Trust.
   
3. Partnerships – Partnerships can be established with organisations with the knowledge and skills to manage reserves and greenspaces. At Cambourne a wildlife trust will manage the community’s eco-park, with residents and local businesses contributing to overheads.
   
4. Local taxation – A local tax hypothecated to communities that benefit from greenspaces. At Wimbledon Common in London, a 1871 Act of Parliament transferred land to the ‘Conservators of Wimbledon Common’ who collect a tax from households within three quarters of a mile. The tax is based on proximity and Council Tax band (varying from Band A £13 to Band H £140 ).

Community stewardship – Stewardship is an important long-term objective. It can deliver tangible benefits, helping to ensure that amenities respond to local needs, dissuading vandalism and reducing management costs. Nurturing stewardship requires a genuine feeling of local ownership and control. To realise these benefits active community participation must be facilitated at agreed stages, which can include design, ongoing management and maintenance. Trusts are a particularly effective way of involving local communities in decision-making.

Fostering stewardship amongst the younger generation is particularly important. This can be achieved through the support of projects and clubs associated with greenspaces, as demonstrated by Benwell Nature Park in Newcastle (Case Study 2, Section 1.3). The participation of residents may also be required to maximise the opportunities for biodiversity in communal ‘doorstep’ spaces.