BioPlan

SERC helps local authorities to fulfil their duties under the NERC Act to protection of biodiversity and geological features through the planning system by providing the key information for decision makers. In order to provide the best service SERC developed the ‘BioPlan’ software, a semi-automated tool for carrying out data searches for planning applications.

BioPlan screens applications against a set of rules agreed with the local planning authority and produces a report detailing relevant species records and designated sites, when specific criteria are met. The system provides an efficient and objective way to search biological and geological data and retrieve information relevant to individual planning applications.

BioPlan in action

The BioPlan system was adopted by South Somerset District Council in 2005 for the screening of all planning application for the district, and implementation by the other district councils and the county council is underway. The system has recently been installed at Warwickshire Biological Records Centre, which is part of Warwickshire County Council, and EcoRecord, the biological record centre for Birmingham and the Black Country.

How the BioPlan System works

• Automated searches are made at the application site, and within a 1 km radius, for legally protected and biodiversity priority species, and for sites with statuary protection or of local natural heritage importance.
• BioPlan filters applications based on strict criteria agreed with the local planning authority, and by relation of the application site to designated sites and relevant species records.
• For developments that BioPlan identifies as potentially having an impact on these sites or species a customised report is generated that is used to inform the planners’ assessment of the application.

System Setup

• The system is entirely electronic, and requires no manual processing beyond loading BioPlan and returning the output to the planners via email.
• The system entails the planning department sending to SERC weekly batches of all applications in a standard GIS format, that have been digitised as part of routine processing of the applications.
• Filtering criteria are developed in consultation with the local authority and refined through a pre-trial period to achieve focused targeting and minimum redundancy.
• The output is tailored to the needs of the individual needs of the local authority, and the search results can be returned the same day.

Advantages of the BioPlan System

• All planning applications are screened objectively against standard criteria.
• No burden on council staff to select which applications to send to SERC for screening.
• The process is automated meaning that weekly batches of applications can be screened in the same time it takes to process a single application through SERC's standard search system.
• The process is more efficient and much quicker than manual systems, typically reports from BioPlan are returned the same day the applications are sent to SERC.
• The system can be adapted to suit the specific requirements of the local authority in terms of filtering criteria and the format of the output.