Natural Environment

                                                         SWOT ANALYSIS

Weaknesses

  • Lack of a cohesive management strategy for the natural environment
  • The importance of gardens in the natural environment not being valued by planners, owners, developers
  • Poor management of our trees and hedges – low levels of awareness of habitat loss due to disease
  • Poor management of the village pond and other aquatic habitats
  • Small patches of Greenbelt that could be infill opportunities by smaller developers.
  • Large numbers of unprotected trees allowing indiscriminate destruction of mature natural environments.
  • Over development of residential plots.
  • Poor drainage allowing overflow into the natural watercourses causing contamination of fragile ecosystems.
  • No importance of Nature to some people

Strengths

  • A rural village environment within M25 surrounded by farmland, footpaths and public open spaces
  • High % of Hedges and Living boundaries– public and private
  • Diverse number of Trees – public and private land
  • Woodlands, Grasslands in public and private ownership
  • Local Nature Reserve
  • Natural grass verges to highways
  • Village Pond and other private ponds
  • Older properties with large gardens containing a range of valuable mature habitats
  • Significant areas of Greenbelt
  • Restricted development opportunities with the Village Centre due to Settlement Area.
  • Great network of villagers willing to help look after the green spaces.
  • Part of the Parish is within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV)

Lots of natural footpaths and unmade roads

 

Opportunities

  • Protect and enhance the natural environment and biodiversity of Tatsfield by ensuring any future development include the importance of gardens as natural habitats
  • Ensure that any re-development of existing properties includes, at least, a like for like replacement of habitats
  • A presumption against the use of hard landscaping in front gardens – parking etc. unless natural habitat is improved as part of this.
  • Develop a maintenance strategy for our public open spaces that encourages greater biodiversity – meadows – ponds - hedges – trees and woodland
  • Provide information and advice for land and garden owners on conserving and enhancing the natural environment
  • The Parish Council to purchase the playing fields and develop opportunities for the children and teenagers to enjoy the facilities.
  • Set status of land to AONB or SSSI where applicable (Ninehams Road)
  • Creation of new official footpaths connecting parts of the Parish.
  • Review Bye-laws (Westmore Green- No Ball Games) to see if they are restricting the use of Green Spaces
  • Change management of verges to encourage natural flora and fauna

Threats

  • New housing development that does not include suitable habitats
  • New housing development that removes hedges, trees but does not replace etc
  • Development of existing, larger, properties and replacing with smaller units and gardens with loss of habitat
  • Reduction in budgets for management of public grassland and woodland resulting in deterioration of these important habitats
  • Loss of the playing fields (TDC Land) and Beaver Waterworld area (private) for housing development
  • Development of the golf course and other private land for housing
  • Loss of the village pond and other aquatic habitats
  • Loss of front gardens to hard standing – loss of habitat – loss of landscape value – loss of visual amenity
  • Risk to dark skies due to commercial development of site like Parkwood Golf Course.
  • Loss of access to privately owned green spaces like Golf Course periphery and Gorsey Down.