What is a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG)?
Dacorum Borough Council (DBC) intend to secure funding for a SANG from the Rectory Farm developers. In this blog, we explain what a SANG is and why they are needed.
Protecting the Chilterns Beechwoods
Within the DBC area resides The Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC). It is made up of nine separate Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), scattered across the Chilterns, and includes Ashridge Commons and Woods and Tring Woodlands.
During the pandemic, people increased their use of outside green spaces like Ashridge. This increase caused additional damage to footpaths and tree roots, from the increased footfall, poo left by dogs and more cars parking.
Natural England decided that this increased level of use could not continue, and enforced a 12km 'Zone of Influence' around the Chiltern Beechwoods SAC, banning the granting of any planning applications for new houses within the zone until Dacorum had a mitigation strategy in in place to provide Suitable Alternative Green Spaces (SANGs). These would attract residents of new developments away from designated sites such as Ashridge that are protected for their valuable ecology and which are sensitive to recreational activities such as dog walking, by providing alternative, local green spaces.
Why are SANGs needed?
As part of their emerging Local Plan, DBC developed some evidence called a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA), which is used to ensure that the integrity of the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC is not adversely affected by new planning proposals, such as Rectory Farm.
Since building new houses equates to more people living in the new developments, the additional population puts more pressure on SAC as more people will be likely to visit the sites for recreational purposes.
In order to mitigate the impacts of urban development on SACs like the Chilterns Beechwoods, SANGs need to be provided.
So what does a SANG look like?
They can be created on existing open spaces e.g. woodland, ex-agricultural land etc. The size of each site varies, but is designed for recreation and to be attractive enough to encourage repeat visits rather than visiting the protected areas. Each site should provide a minimum circular walk of 2.3 – 2.5km on paths that are easily used and well maintained and be semi-natural in character. SANGs must be secured for a minimum duration of 80 years.
What is SANG capacity and how is it paid for?
SANG capacity is the number of new dwellings which can be allocated to it. Natural England use a rough calculation of 1 hectare per 125 new residents. At 2.5 persons per dwelling, 1 hectare can be allocated per 52 new dwellings. Developments must contribute towards either a new bespoke SANG or contribute towards Strategic SANG projects, so developers effectively pay a levy for every house they build. New SANGs have already been set up on land owned by DBC at Chipperfield Common, Bunkers Park and Gadebridge Park.
What SANG will Rectory Farm pay for, if development goes ahead?
Dacorum Borough Council want the developers of the Rectory Farm site to contribute to a new SANG at Westbrook Hay, owned by The Boxmoor Trust, approximately 5 miles from Kings Langley.