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Presentation

Planning for Sustainable Land-Use:

The Natural Capital Planning Tool (NCPT)

Oliver Hölzinger

Consultancy for Environmental Economics & Policy (CEEP)/

School for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham

Envecon 2016, London

18th March 2016

Demographics:

•The UK has the fastest population growth in Europe and is projected to grow by almost 10 million within the next 20 years.

•Birmingham’s population is projected to grow by about 20% until 2030.

Background

Demographics:

•The UK has the fastest population growth in Europe and is projected to grow by almost 10 million within the next 20 years.

•Birmingham’s population is projected to grow by about 20% until 2030.

→This puts significant additional pressure on green infrastructure and the ecosystem services it performs.

→At the same time the demand for ecosystem services increases because more people ‘use’ and benefit from them.

Background

“The Government expects the planning system to

deliver the homes, business, infrastructure and

thriving local places that the country needs, while

protecting and enhancing the natural and historic

environment. Planning has a key role in securing a

sustainable future. However, the current system

[…] is failing to achieve the kind of integrated

and informed decision-making that is needed to

support sustainable land use.”

Natural Environment White Paper, 2011

Background

Background

• Evidence about the impacts of proposed developments/plans is often prepared as part of the planning process (EIA, Flood Risk Assessment, stakeholder responses etc.)

Background

• Evidence about the impacts of proposed developments/plans is often prepared as part of the planning process (EIA, Flood Risk Assessment, stakeholder responses etc.)

• However, such information often comes from diverse sources and is not presented in a ‘fit-for-purpose’ format

Background

• Evidence about the impacts of proposed developments/plans is often prepared as part of the planning process (EIA, Flood Risk Assessment, stakeholder responses etc.)

• However, such information often comes from diverse sources and is not presented in a ‘fit-for-purpose’ format

• Decision-makers and planners often have very limited time and resources to review and process such data; e.g. to reveal trade-offs

Background

• Evidence about the impacts of proposed developments/plans is often prepared as part of the planning process (EIA, Flood Risk Assessment, stakeholder responses etc.)

• However, such information often comes from diverse sources and is not presented in a ‘fit-for-purpose’ format

• Decision-makers and planners often have very limited time and resources to review and process such data; e.g. to reveal trade-offs

• ‘Soft’ (qualitative) information is often undervalued/neglected when compared to ‘hard’ (quantitative) evidence

“The planning system should contribute to and

enhance the natural and local environment by […]

recognising the wider benefits of ecosystem

services.”

National Planning Policy Framework, 2012

Background

“The planning system should contribute to and

enhance the natural and local environment by […]

recognising the wider benefits of ecosystem

services.”

National Planning Policy Framework, 2012

But how?

Background

The Natural Capital Planning Tool (NCPT)

Core project team:

Project partners:

Funder:

NCPT Project

Better assess and manage the long-term impacts of

proposed developments and plans on the delivery of

ecosystem services.

Project Aims

Better assess and manage the long-term impacts of

proposed developments and plans on the delivery of

ecosystem services.

Develop a simple and straight forward excel tool that can

be applied by planners and developers. No specific

ecosystem services expertise is required from the tool

user.

Project Aims

Better assess and manage the long-term impacts of

proposed developments and plans on the delivery of

ecosystem services.

Develop a simple and straight forward excel tool that can

be applied by planners and developers. No specific

ecosystem services expertise is required from the tool

user.

Move away from a tick-box exercise to integrated and

informed decision-making with the main aim to ensure

that new developments and plans have an overall net

positive impact on the provision of ecosystem

services.

Project Aims

Assessment Scope

The tool allows assessing the impact of new developments

and plans on 10 ecosystem services:

•Harvested products

•Biodiversity

•Aesthetic values & sense of place

•Recreation

•Water quality regulation

•Flood risk regulation

•Air quality regulation

•Local climate regulation (climate change adaptation)

•Global climate regulation (climate change mitigation)

•Soil contamination

Methods

• A Multi-Criteria Decision-Analysis framework has been

chosen as basis for the NCPT (no monetary valuation)

Methods

• A Multi-Criteria Decision-Analysis Framework has been

chosen as basis for the NCPT (no monetary valuation)

• A set of relevant (and readily available) indicators was

identified

Methods

• A Multi-Criteria Decision-Analysis Framework has been

chosen as basis for the NCPT (no monetary valuation)

• A set of relevant (and readily available) indicators was

identified

• For each assessed ecosystem service an expert task

group was established with the main aim to ‘translate’ the

indicators into impact scores (45 members altogether)

Methods

• A Multi-Criteria Decision-Analysis Framework has been

chosen as basis for the NCPT (no monetary valuation)

• A set of relevant (and readily available) indicators was

identified

• For each assessed ecosystem service an expert task

group was established with the main aim to ‘translate’ the

indicators into impact scores (45 members altogether)

• Habitat maturity has explicitly been considered (a mature

woodland patch receives e.g. a higher biodiversity score

than a newly created young one)

≠

Tool Functionality

Indicator

information entered

by tool user

Tool Functionality

Indicator

information entered

by tool user

NCPT calculates

impact score

(for each ES)

Tool Functionality

Opportunity for tool

user to adjust

scores

Indicator

information entered

by tool user

NCPT calculates

impact score

(for each ES)

Tool Functionality

Opportunity for tool

user to adjust

scores

NCPT calculates

overall

development

impact score

Indicator

information entered

by tool user

NCPT calculates

impact score

(for each ES)

Tool Functionality

Opportunity for tool

user to adjust

scores

NCPT calculates

overall

development

impact scoreProceed with

development

Indicator

information entered

by tool user

NCPT calculates

impact score

(for each ES)

Tool Functionality

Opportunity for tool

user to adjust

scores

NCPT calculates

overall

development

impact score

NCPT provides

information about

‘design-strategies’ and

best practice to

improve the impact of

the development on

ES

Indicator

information entered

by tool user

NCPT calculates

impact score

(for each ES)

Tool Functionality

Opportunity for tool

user to adjust

scores

NCPT calculates

overall

development

impact score

NCPT provides

information about

‘design-strategies’ and

best practice to

improve the impact of

the development on

ES

Re-design and

re-assessment

Indicator

information entered

by tool user

NCPT calculates

impact score

(for each ES)

Tool Functionality

Opportunity for tool

user to adjust

scores

NCPT calculates

overall

development

impact score

NCPT provides

information about

‘design-strategies’ and

best practice to

improve the impact of

the development on

ES

Re-design and

re-assessment

Proceed with

development

Indicator

information entered

by tool user

NCPT calculates

impact score

(for each ES)

The Way Ahead

• NCPT is in a test version and not published yet

• We just secured NERC Green Infrastructure Innovation Funding to

further develop and test the NCPT

• Project partners include Defra, The Royal Town Planning Institute

(RTPI) and the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA)

• Case study partners:• Birmingham City Council: Smithfield Enterprise Zone

• Central Bedfordshire Council: Development Site Allocation

• Southampton City Council: Town Park Estate

• Skanska: Improve GBI Design of Development

• Solihull Council: UK Central/HS2 Garden City

• Tarmac: Mineral Extraction Site Restoration

• Opportunity for further case studies if self-funded…

• Explore Ecosystem Services Offsetting and monitoring opportunities

• NCPT Publication: February 2018

Questions?

NCPT Phase 1 Report: http://www.rics.org/ie/knowledge/research/research-reports/natural-capital-tool-planning-/

Contact: oliver.h@ceep-online.co.uk

Natural Capital Planning Tool (NCPT)

Many thanks for your attention!