Decision details

Consideration was given to the recommendations of the Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select Committee in respect of a review of the Borough Council’s Roadside Nature Reserves (RNRs) following ecological monitoring undertaken by the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership between April and September 2025.

The full report of Medway Valley Countryside Partnership was attached at Annex 1 and the current RNRs were listed on pages 2 and 3 of the report.  The report brought forward proposed future, prioritised, management and survey recommendations.  These recommendations were summarised on pages 58 and 59 of Annex 1.  Following consideration of these recommendations, officers had brought forward proposals to expand existing RNRs (attached at Annex 2) and for new sites (attached at Annex 3). 

Due regard was given to the views of the Scrutiny Select Committee, and the financial and value for money considerations.  On the grounds that RNRs can provide significant ecological and community value by acting as vital corridors that connect fragmented landscapes, helping species move and survive, supporting diverse wildlife and protecting rare and threatened habitats, Cllr Mehmet proposed, Cllr Keers seconded and Cabinet

RESOLVED:That

(1)      priority 1 and 2 recommendations within the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership report, attached at Annex 1, be progressed;

(2)      existing Roadside Nature Reserves, shown in Annex 2, be expanded, subject to the exclusion of River Lawn in Tonbridge from the Roadside Nature Reserves programme; and

(3)      new Roadside Nature Reserves, as shown in Annex 3, be created.