Purpose

GIRAMS new tariff and governance arrangements

Decision

Breckland Council endorses
that:
 
The existing Green
Infrastructure and Recreational Impact Avoidance and Mitigation
Strategy (GIRAMS) tariff is increased from £221.17 to
£293.53 per dwelling.
 
The Appointment of a Breckland
elected member to the Norfolk Recreational Impact Avoidance and
Mitigation Strategy (RAMS) Board which will be comprised of elected
councillors and supported by ecologists and planning officers from
all Norfolk Planning Authorities. The RAMS Board will agree and
oversee the implementation of GIRAMS projects.
 
The employment of a delivery
manager funded through tariff contributions, who will report to the
Board and deliver the GIRAMS projects.
 

Reasons for the decision

The legislative background to
GIRAMS is the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations
2017, which states that the Council in its role as Local Planning
Authority has a legal duty to ensure that its plans and projects
will not have an adverse impact on protected sites. The sites
include Special Protection Areas (SPA) classified under the 1979
Birds Directive, Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated
under the 1992 Habitats Directive, as well as ‘Wetlands of
International Importance’ (or Ramsar sites).
 
Many of Norfolk’s natural
habitats e.g., The Brecks and North Norfolk Coast have the highest
protection under the UK’S environmental laws, but many of
these sites are also popular places to visit. Lots of visitors
causes habitat damage such as vegetation trampling, contamination
from litter, dog fouling and disturbance to wildlife.
 
To mitigate the effects of an
increase in visitors to these sites from new housing, a GIRAM
Strategy was created whereby developers pay a tariff for each new
home built to fund the mitigation projects to prevent or reduce
habitat damage. The mitigation fund would pay for measures such as
installing better footpaths and signage, cordoning off of sensitive habitats, rangers, educational
workshops and monitoring habitat improvements.
 
The GIRAMS approach is an
established method for dealing with visitor pressures on protected
habitat sites and is used by many local authorities across the
country. The approach has been approved by the Norfolk Strategic
Planning Member Forum.
 

Alternative options considered

None.