MD26098 - Plan Mid Devon Green Infrastructure Strategy

1. Aims and objectives of the tender exercise To appoint a suitably qualified consultant through a fair, transparent and proportionate competitive process to prepare the Plan Mid Devon Green Infrastructure Strategy. The commission will provide a robust and proportionate Local Plan evidence base that establishes the existing green infrastructure baseline; assesses the likely individual and cumulative impacts of planned growth; identifies mitigation, enhancement and investment priorities; and translates the findings into practical policy, site-allocation, infrastructure-delivery and development-management recommendations. The procurement also seeks value for money, timely delivery, transparent methodology and assumptions, high-quality editable GIS/data outputs, knowledge transfer to Council officers, and outputs that remain usable following Local Government Reorganisation. 2. Description of the requirement and background to the procurement Mid Devon District Council is preparing Plan Mid Devon, a new Local Plan for the proposed period 2026-2046. The emerging evidence identifies a local housing need of approximately 570 dwellings per annum, existing commitments of approximately 6,646 dwellings and a need for around 6,000 additional allocations, subject to the continuing evolution of the evidence base. The scale and distribution of growth requires up-to-date evidence showing how green and blue infrastructure, ecological networks, biodiversity, access to nature, active travel, landscape, water and flood-risk functions can be protected, connected, enhanced and delivered. The Council therefore requires a comprehensive Green Infrastructure Strategy to support spatial strategy decisions, site assessment and allocations, Sustainability Appraisal/Habitats Regulations Assessment where relevant, the Infrastructure Delivery Plan and future development-management decisions. The work must align with the Devon Local Nature Recovery Strategy and relevant national and local policy...