Biodiversity and Development

Developments and Biodiversity: Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) will now legally be required to apply to most new developments. However, the development (or part of) that harms the existing land and nature within it needs to be restored to a commensurate level to that which is lost. Too often developers plans to restore nature as a result of a development that are submitted to TBC fall way short of actually compensating for the biodiversity loss. The removal of hedgerows and/or established trees that are a habitat for rapidly declining species, for example, cannot be replaced by the addition of a few saplings within a new housing development and the placement of a few bird/bat boxes at random locations. If there cannot be commensurate compensation for biodiversity loss at a particular site then there are facilities that TBC or developers can use to ensure BNG - for example, approach bodies such as the RSPB who have worked in conjunction with the Construction Industry Research and Information Association to produce guidelines on this and the RSPB have 'biodiversity units' that TBC can buy to help offset net biodiversity loss.

The ecological reports submitted by environmental consultants on behalf of developers locally (and paid for by the very same developers - a clear conflict of interest!) in my opinion generally fail to adequately record the biodiversity that exists at a particular site. The consultancy firm by their very nature will concentrate their efforts on trying to ascertain the presence or absence of certain key species that are protected by law (badgers, bats, great crested newts etc) and therefore could impact whether the development can proceed in it's proposed form. There is far less emphasis on the remaining biodiversity which could be substantial and locally very important - ecologists for example will invariably make a couple of short visits to a particular site to take a general overview of what they see/hear during that visit. These visits are often at the wrong time of year to adequately pick up on the breeding presence of Amber or Red Listed "Birds of Conservation Concern". An example of this is the recently approved expanded housing development near Rudgeway Farm, adjacent to the Wheatpieces estate and the new Bloor Homes HQ. This site has a significant population of breeding Skylarks and Yellowhammers - both Red listed species that are in very rapid UK wide population decline. The ecological report for the development completely fails to pick up on this despite the singing Skylarks being obvious to even the most casual observer on any given day in the Spring/Summer. In addition. numerous records spread over several years of breeding activity of these birds has been lodged with the Gloucestershire Centre for Environmental Records (GERC), the very same body that ecological consultants tend to consult locally for the presence of such data. I suspect that ecological consultants are requesting a narrow range of data that would not reveal general wider biodiversity of a particular area and therefore their subsequent report to the developer does not tend to adequately reflect the full extent of the biodiversity that is present. Public feedback on the presence of Red or Amber listed species at a particular site (that is not picked up the ecological consultant that works for the developer) needs to be acknowledged by TBC and more effort made to engage directly with the person or body that raises this via for example your planning portal.

Consideration should be given to notifying local residents of significant proposed land developments within a certain radius of their address and options provided for feedback. There is not enough awareness of such developments and therefore limited engagement or feedback on them on the TBC Planning Portal. In my opinion, attaching the odd random planning notice on lamp posts close to affected area is not enough. Ideas and comments tend to be posted on local website noticeboards which can be a waste of potential valuable feedback for TBC.

Linkage of fragmented habitats: Biodiverse sites within the Borough can end up being isolated in pockets of land, with the wildlife within each site becoming restricted and unable to move to a similar habitat. TBC could plan 'nature corridors' that link such sites and allow wildlife to move more freely. In effect it then becomes one larger biodiverse site. For example, hedgerow corridors linking with woodland sites.

More sensitive management of hedgerows for which TBC has a responsibility to maintain:

This includes hedges on residential estates. For example, there are several stretches of hedge on the Wheatpieces estate that are communal roosts for House Sparrows. These provide vital overnight cover for roosting birds in the winter but every year when they are flail mowed, the evergreen sections are ripped away and the height dramatically reduced. The flocks are then noticeable by their absence the following evening! Several stretches of hedge have been reduced to gappy stumps where once they were thriving. The management of these hedges should be less draconian with better communication with the the appointed contractors to achieve a more sensitive result that benefits wildlife and keeps routeways clear.

Flood alleviation - working with (not against) nature: Move away from short term knee-jerk environmental responses to supposedly try and address flooding to longer term planning that takes a more holistic, wider and cost effective approach and that benefits nature into the bargain. Too often the response is to dredge and straighten a particular stream/river channel and remove or severely reduce the bankside tree cover and vegetation. An example of this is the stream that runs alongside a "Restricted Byeway" close to Walton Cardiff village. It did have a really impressive biodiversity that included several species of dragonfly and birds such as Grey Wagtail used to visit. After severe dredging it is now a shell of what it used to be (a sterile, straight channel devoid of micro-habitat) and I detect no improvement in local flood alleviation. We should be restoring ecosystems not obliterating them! I would like TBC to take an approach to land management that seeks to work with nature to restore ecosystems and alleviate flooding - lets create and restore wetlands; approve tree planting and natural regeneration. There is substantial evidence now that tree planting and natural regeneration of trees and scrub can significantly reduce flooding, soil erosion and water erosion - see studies at the Pontbren Project (mid Wales) for example. Alternative environmental solutions may be needed dependent on the actual area concerned.