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Local Authorities and Sustainable Peatland Management: Current Opportunities and Future Possibilities for Local Approaches
Figure 9 Powers and Responsibilities 0f Local Authorities Relevant to SPM
Core Statutory Functions
Land use planning
Land use planning is a core statutory function for local authorities and an essential means of supporting SPM. Support for SPM in land use planning can be achieved by the following:
(i) including information on peatlands in evidence gathering on green infrastructure and resilient ecological networks in the local area and including this in Local Development Plans; (ii) including peatland evidence in the ‘local evidence’ that contributes to applications for Developments of National Significance; (iii) evaluating peatland evidence in local development decisions; (iv) using planning conditions and section 106 agreements to provide for mitigation and compensatory measures for potentially damaging effects on peatlands.
The activities listed will require an adequate level of expertise on SPM within the local authority and having an adequate level of environmental expertise is a statutory duty under the system of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) referred to in this section.
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