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West Northamptonshire Planning Technical Guidance

Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Special Protection Area

The Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Special Protection Area and Ramsar site was formally classified by the UK government in 2011. It covers 1,358 hectares in West and North Northamptonshire.

This Technical Guidance and Mitigation Strategy was produced in 2026 to help authorities, developers and others ensure that development has no significant effect on the special protection area.

Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits SPA Technical Guidance and Mitigation Strategy

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Special Protection Areas provide increased protection and management for areas which are important for breeding, feeding, wintering or migration of rare and vulnerable species of birds.

A Ramsar site is a wetland of international importance designated under the convention of wetlands of international importance (especially as waterfowl habitat).

The Special Protection Area and Ramsar site boundaries for the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits are identical, although the qualifying features are slightly different.

Functionally Linked Land (FLL)

Golden Plover and Lapwing often spend time feeding or roosting on land outside the SPA.

These areas can be located up to 10km from the SPA and may be considered ‘functionally linked land’ to the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits SPA.

Our guidance outlines:

  • identifying if it is functionally linked land
  • how planning applications will be affected on this land
  • providing compensatory habitat for HRA tests
  • consulting with Natural England

The functionally linked land guidance is now included in the Technical Guidance and Mitigation Strategy (Appendix 4).

Residential developments

A 2023 Visitor Access Study showed that new residential developments within 5.9km of the SPA will need to mitigate for recreational disturbance impacts on the SPA. Large developments (500-plus dwellings) will require Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) as mitigation.

For residential developments which result in a net increase in the number of dwellings within 5.9km of the SPA, it is proposed to avoid and mitigate likely significant effect on the SPA, by making a financial contribution per dwelling towards Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM) or other suitable infrastructure.

This would reduce the adverse impact of people visiting the SPA through specific measures and monitoring.

The mitigation strategy identified a fixed contribution per dwelling. As of 10 June 2026, the rate is £371.17. The fixed contribution will also be subject to an £85 administration fee per application.

Last updated 25 June 2026