Q1. What would you do to ensure that everyone in your area has access to natural green space within 300m of their home?

This cannot always be achieved if the housing is already built but it is possible to promote wildlife gardening in areas that have already been developed. EHDC should do more to promote this. (In fact Cllr Carew lectures and runs courses on the subject.)

It is worth looking at 300m of greenspace for all new build. This should be incorporated in the local plan / new local development frameworks.

We need more green infrastructure i.e. wildlife corridors to link habitats and more use of biodiversity through design.

We also need less building on valuable ecological areas to start with (green and brown field sites can both be good for wildlife), less habitat fragmentation and better protection for important habitats and rare (red data book / National BAP 1) species per se.

Cllr Carew would like to see more creation of SSSIs, buffer zones around all SPAs and better protection for SINC sites which have no legal status other than protection in the local plan i.e.. they can still be built on.

EHDC could start by taking biodiversity issues in planning far more seriously and they can start by employing a full time planning officer to advise on such matters.

Another key concern is over reliance of planners and developers on translocation of species and habitats. Habitat translocation is almost impossible as habitats occur where they do due to specific edaphic factors geology, hydrology and climate. Species translocation seems to be a quick answer to everything but very little surveying appears to go on as to the suitability of receptor sites and even less monitoring seems to be conducted after the species have been moved. Where possible species should be left in situ and the development built around them with wildlife corridors and enhanced biodiversity features.

Cllr Carew has also launched the green Town Vision for Whitehill and Bordon which will include green infrastructure but worryingly may also include some green field site development, this needs to be dependent on the ecological impact.

Q2. All local authorities have a duty to safeguard and enhance local biodiversity. How will you ensure that this duty is fulfilled for the benefit of both people and wildlife?

Conservative run EHDC has dragged its feet over biodiversity issues . This must change.

Liberal Democrat Cllrs Adam Carew and Mike Ashton have demanded action on East Hants Biodiversity Action Plan since they were first elected in 2003 and have been doing so periodically ever since.

In fact when we first raised this issue, only 3 councillors of 44 actually had a copy in 2003 and all councillor in East Hampshire sit on planning.

Our concerns were

1. that Councillors did not have a copy of the East Hants BAP

2. that there were geographical gaps and that it needed to be improved

3. that it needed to become supplementary planning guidance if it was to be of any use

The current BAP has still not be improved or updated and has still not been adapted so it can be adopted as a supplementary planning document (SPD). There is talk of making part of the community strategy but there is real concern that this does not go far enough.

4 years later nothing much has happened - There still has been no planning training in Wildlife Planning Law for Councillors and seemingly little for planning officers either.

Cllr Carew and Ashton demanded that the EH BAP steering group was reconvened - it met last month , for the first time in over 4 years and it also demanded urgent action.

We would like to see the following:

1.EHDC to dedicate officer time to collate biodiversity records for the whole district and to pass them to Hants Biodiversity Information Centre (hBIC), relevant landowners and planners.

2. EHDC need adopt the BAP as a supplementary planning document as a matter of urgency. There seems to be a real reluctance to do this.

3. EHDC needs to employ a properly qualified, full time member of staff to pull this all together. This may need to be match funded with other partner organisations. It needs to be someone who is competent and knows what they are doing.

4. Councillors and planning officers must undertake core training on biodiversity and wildlife law issues immediately after the new council is elected (again we have had no training in 4 years despite repeated demands)

5. That a Biodiversity Officer is employed to advise on wildlife law and biodiversity planning issues as at Lib Dem controlled Eastleigh Borough Council.

6. That EHDC Biodiversity Grants are made on condition that species and habitat records are sent to HBIC.

As a trained ecologist Cllr Carew has also helped write and edit EHDC's biodiversity guidelines for developers. These probably require updating.

Q3. The Stern Report (2006) highlighted the importance of helping the environment to adapt to the effects of climate change. This can only be achieved by ensuring that local authorities, statutory bodies and non-governmental organisations work together to ensure that conservation efforts operate at a landscape level. What action would you take to help make this happen?

Cllr Carew's environmental audit motion was passed in 2004 by the whole council and was designed to examine and green up the whole of the council's activities from transport, to EHDC buildings, from contracts to procurement. 3 years later nothing has happened.

Consultants were brought in a report was written. The Conservatives decided to limit the audit to just look at EHDC offices at Penn's Place and that is the last we have heard of it.

We have made the Conservative lack of action on this an election issue.

Cllr Carew and Cllr Sam Payne also persuaded EHDC to sign the Nottingham Declaration this commits EHDC to drawing up and implementing a Climate Change Strategy in 2 years for the whole district - we need a climate change partnership with the whole district to tackle both the causes and effects of climate change. Having tried to prevent this issue being discussed in 2006 and missing opportunities to adopt it in 2007 the Conservatives are now trying to claim credit for this initiative, unfortunately for them its minuted that this was a Liberal Democrat motion.

We have also argued for EHDC to work towards going Carbon Neutral - the Tories have promised this but provided no plans on how they would actually do this. Worryingly they have made no money available for this years Budget. So much for urgent action. Liberal Democrats have ALWAYS been committed to the environment and will put our money where our mouth is.

As Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Biodiversity and Environment Cllr Carew pledges to ensure that continue demanding that urgent action is taken on the dual concerns of biodiversity and climate change.