Natural heritage guidance goes out to consultation

An OIC consultation on proposed natural heritage planning guidance begins on Monday.

The guidance, currently in draft form, will be taken into account by the council when assessing planning applications. It includes information on proposed Local Nature Conservation Sites (LNCSs), which have been identified as having natural heritage importance in their local areas.

Susan Shearer, OIC senior planner, said: “We expect that farmers and other landowners, conservation organisations and the wider Orkney public will be keen to comment on this draft Natural Heritage Supplementary Guidance.”

She added: “It is important to point out that the proposed LNCSs are not ‘no development areas’ – they are simply areas with natural heritage interests that should be considered when preparing proposals for planning permission. They do not affect the agricultural management of land.”

The consultation runs until August 27 and the draft guidance will be available from www.orkney.gov.uk from Monday July 16.