Aim: To conserve, enhance and raise awareness of the Borough's natural assets, distinctiveness and biodiversity.

The countryside is currently undergoing a period of great difficulty and change which is of concern to both rural and urban dwellers. Rural and urban issues are becoming increasingly interdependent - many urban dwellers rely on the countryside to meet many of their leisure and recreational needs. In addition, the demand for land development in future years is almost inevitably going to impinge on the countryside.

Important Issues to address

• Links between people and wildlife.
• Protection of sites of wildlife value.
• Protection and management of open spaces.
• Protection of wildlife sites.
• Local distinctiveness.
• Local biodiversity.
• Identification and protection of the landscape character of the area, particularly historic landscapes.
• Water quality.

Key Objectives

• To increase accessibility to wildlife (e.g. local nature reserves) so that the links between people and wildlife are improved.
• To raise community awareness about environmental issues.
• To minimise development on green field sites.
• To ensure that important open spaces are retained.
• To develop management plans for all key open spaces.
• To ensure that sites identified as having wildlife value are protected.
• To maintain and, if possible, enhance local biodiversity.
• To safeguard and protect the Borough's historic landscapes.
• To complete a full landscape character assessment.

Actions

• Create a community-focused environmental protection centre to increase overall awareness of environmental issues by 2003.
• Identify wildlife sites and negotiate management agreements by 2007.
• Undertake a survey of informal open space within Shrewsbury during 2002.
• Continue to develop management plans for areas of Council owned land.
• Implement Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council's Local Plan policies that seek to protect wildlife and the landscape.
• Ensure that Shropshire's Biodiversity Action Plan is acted upon to stop biodiversity decline and protect flora and fauna.
• Raise awareness about the importance of maintaining the Borough's natural assets, distinctiveness and biodiversity.
• Review Shrewsbury's Countryside and River Strategies (including a detailed ecological survey).
• Safeguard and protect the Borough's historic landscapes.
• Produce supplementary planning guidance relating to the soon to be completed landscape character assessment by 2003.

Future Community Involvement

Although we have tried to involve as many people as possible in putting this strategy together, it is unlikely that we have managed to reach everybody. Over the coming year we will involve the community in further development of the strategy 

Monitoring

To include:

Links to other strands of the strategy

• The economy.
• Rural concerns.
• Health.
• Learning and skills.

Partners in Delivery

• Council for the Protection of Rural England
• Country Landowners Association
• Countryside Agency
• English Heritage
• English Nature
• Environment Agency
• Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group
• National Farmers Union
• National Trust
• Parish Councils
• Residents Groups and Associations
• Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council
• Shropshire County Council
• Shropshire Wildlife Trust
• Voluntary Groups and Organisations