Nature improvement areas
Areas of the country where partnerships have been set up to enhance the natural environment
- Design stage
- Co-design
- Datasets
- Frequency of updates
- Ad hoc
- Useful links
- Discussion
- Join the discussion on GitHub
- Last updated
- 3 September 2024
Backlog
Who asked for 'Nature improvement areas' data?
The Geospatial Commission has published a list of 65 open datasets that they believe are used during the housing and planning process. This includes Nature Improvement Areas.
What is the driver for the request?
Other
Which 2024 focus area does the request support?
Modern planning software;Faster local plans
Screen
What is the 'Nature improvement areas' consideration?
Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) are "areas of the country where partnerships have been set up to enhance the natural environment. NIAs embody an integrated, holistic approach that was signalled in the Natural Environment White Paper and England Biodiversity Strategy, joining up objectives for biodiversity, water, soils, farming and the low-carbon economy to improve the functioning of ecosystems and their services."
Is there legislation that defines 'Nature improvement areas'?
No
Who, in law, is responsible for the planning consideration or makes decisions about 'Nature improvement areas'?
No legislation was found but there are white papers on the subject of nature improvement areas.
These white papers are published by DEFRA, and a national dataset can be found from Natural England.
Which organisations do we think should publish the data?
Natural England
Is the Nature improvement areas a trigger?
No
Is the Nature improvement areas something to consult during plan making?
Yes
Provide information about when Nature improvement areas is used during plan making
For relevant local planning authorities, understanding where nature improvements areas are will be important to ensure that growth strategies align with the purpose of this designation. This is similarly the case when making planning decisions through development management, ensuring that any development aligns with the requirements of the designation.
Is there any Nature improvement areas data already available?
Yes
What Nature improvement areas data is currently available?
- Nature Improvement Areas (England) (publisher: Natural England; coverage: National; licence: OGL v3; fields: OBJECTID;NIA_NAME;HECTARES;GlobalID)
Do we think the data should come from a single source?
Yes - Natural England
Will a data standard be required?
No
Research
Do we understand the lifecycle of a Nature improvement areas?
No
Do we understand how the data is created/produced?
N/A
Where will or should the data be used?
N/A
What other planning considerations does it interact with?
N/A
Who are the statutory consultees for Nature improvement areas?
N/A
Other than the statutory consultees who are the primary users of Nature improvement areas? How do we expect them to use Nature improvement areas?
N/A
What are the planning needs for this data?
Nature Improvement Areas (NIA) were established to create joined up and resilient ecological networks at a landscape scale. This dataset displays these, allowing their presence to be taken into consideration when plan-making and decision making.
Who are the types of users who might benefit from having access to Nature improvement areas data?
N/A
What are some potential uses of Nature improvement areas data?
N/A
What's the value of adding Nature improvement areas data to the platform?
N/A
From what we have learnt so far are there any risks to making Nature improvement areas data available?
N/A