Wildlife Trust praises Winchester Lib Dem council for putting nature first

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has praised Winchester City Council for recognising nature as essential infrastructure, calling on other councils across the region to follow its lead.

The Trust welcomed a motion passed by Winchester City Council on 20 August, recognising the natural environment as strategically important infrastructure alongside transport, housing and other essential services.

This means recognising that healthy rivers, woodlands, wetlands, soils and other natural habitats are vital to our communities and economy, providing clean air and water, reducing flooding and supporting wildlife.

The motion also calls for nature recovery and climate resilience to be built into future plans for development and investment.

The Wildlife Trust has now written to council leaders across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, encouraging them to adopt similar commitments.

Niamh Tickner, Planning Policy and Campaigns Officer at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, welcomed Winchester's decision as an important step towards ensuring nature is considered from the outset when planning for the region's future.

The Trust highlighted growing pressures on Hampshire's natural environment, including biodiversity loss, pollution, water scarcity, flooding and climate change.

With major decisions ahead on housing, transport and infrastructure across Hampshire and the Solent, the Trust believes protecting and restoring nature must be central to future planning.

The decision builds on Winchester City Council's wider work to protect the district's natural environment, including its commitment to tackling the climate and nature emergencies and protecting important habitats such as Hampshire's rare chalk streams.

Local Liberal Democrats have welcomed the Trust's recognition of Winchester's approach, which acknowledges that protecting nature is not separate from building thriving communities, but an essential part of doing so.