Neighbourhood planning

Data Searches for Neighbourhood Plans

TVERC can provide comprehensive environmental information to support the development of Neighbourhood and Community Plans. We hold high quality data about species, habitats and sites. These data can be used to:

  • highlight important species, habitats and sites in your neighbourhood plan area;
  • support policies that protect and enhancement biodiversity in your parish; and
  • provide opportunities for investment in wildlife sites and green spaces to improve the wildlife value of your parish.

Our standard biodiversity report is supplied as a PDF document and includes species data as an Excel spreadsheet, and sites & habitats as either a PDF map or GIS layers. However, we can tailor our service to suit your needs.  For more information on the content of a biodiversity report see 'Report Contents'

Neighbourhood Plan Report

The neighbourhood plan report provides some basic information about the wildlife and protected areas that can be found in your neighbourhood plan area which can only be accessed through TVERC.

This report provides a list of wildlife species that have been recorded in the local area, along with details of when they were recorded and their conservation status.  This will help communities deliver targeted action as part of neighbourhood plans.

The report also includes a map of the Local Wildlife Sites in the local area.  Local Wildlife Sites are surveyed by TVERC and assessed against selection criteria by a panel of local independent wildlife experts.  They represent some of the most important areas for wildlife at a county level.  We will provide you with a map of these sites and their names.

The report provides summary details that can help communities set out policies and plans for their neighbourhoods.  However, this report does not provide the full details of Local Wildlife Sites nor does it include all of the records of wildlife in your parish.  These data are available from TVERC, but at a greater cost.

Charge & response time

We usually complete searches within 3 working days, although you can request a faster service for an additional charge.  A reduced rate of £55 per hour applies for Parish and Town Councils using TVERC data for Parish Plans, Community-Led Plans or Neighbourhood Development Plans.

The Neighbourhood plan report is now available at a cost of £75+ VAT.

You can submit a data search or a Neighbourhood plan report here.

Green Corridors for Neighbourhood Plans

What are green corridors?

Green corridors are corridors that allow people and wildlife to move through the landscape.  They are important both in connecting patches of habitat to allow wildlife to find food, home and mates, but also in helping people to access the countryside and to experience wildlife first hand.

Many Neighbourhood Plans are identifying green corridors and are including policies which specifically address the protection, creation and enhancement of new and existing green corridors.  The Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) can use its extensive data and expertise to help you identify important green corridors within your neighbourhood plan area.

Green corridors work best if they link public access with habitat networks. TVERC will identify and map habitat networks of connected habitat in your neighbourhood plan area.  We do this by modelling how well-connected habitats patches are for wildlife using a cost-distance approach.  The result of this is a map of the connected habitat networks.  We can combine these habitat networks with information on Public Rights of Way to create maps of the potential green corridors in your area.

To help you identify green corridors for your neighbourhood plan, TVERC will run a workshop with your neighbourhood plan group.  This will involve drawing proposed green corridors on maps using your local knowledge and TVERC’s expertise.  From this TVERC will produce digitised maps of green corridors for inclusion in your local plan.

The cost for the habitat modelling, mapping and the workshop starts from £1,280 + VAT.

Green Corridors Leaflet (PDF)

TVERC has completed similar green corridors projects for Eye and Dunsden, South Leigh, East Challow and Brize Norton parishes.

For more information, or to discuss your requirements please contact TVERC on 01865 815451 or tverc@oxfordshire.gov.uk