February 2015

All the statutory protected sites within 4km of the site:

All the SSSIs surrounding the site:

Proximity of the site to Thames Basin Heaths SPA:

SPA have the potential, without mitigation measures being implemented, to cause this adverse impact. They also advise that residential development within 400m of the SPA are avoided as even with mitigation measures, the SPA is highly likely to be impacted upon. They call this 400m the ‘Inner Exclusion Zone’ and the PRB site is well and truly within this.

Surprising  Natural England have not raised an objection to this scheme having already been consulted – Response attached.   The Wildlife Trust have obviously also been surprised by NE’s response (have also attached their statement).

All the info for this, planning-wise, can be found here:

http://www.hart.gov.uk/sites/default/files/4_The_Council/Policies_and_published_documents/Planning_policy/Interim_Avoidance_Strategy_for_TBHSPA%20-%20November_2010.pdf

Surrey Heaths Borough Council Local Plan

The Borough Council sets out its commitment to biodiversity in their Local Plan (I think this is currently being re-done), specifically Policy CP14S: Biodiversity and Nature Conservation (I’ve attached the Local Plan to this email – definitely read through what’s said in this policy in detail, it will give you a lot of ammunition). They state that development that results in harm to or loss of features of interest for biodiversity will not be permitted, particularly SPAs, SACs, SSSIs, NNRs, SNCIs, LNRs and other Ancient Woodland (most of which is shown in the table above – there are loads of them!). The fact that your site sits within and adjacent to so many areas with statutory designations for their nature conservation value means if they do develop there, they are categorically going against their own Local Plan. Again, this is where it would be useful to obtain the information held by SBIC regarding locally designated sites, as the Plan also states that development will not be permitted within locally designated sites unless it is necessary for on site management measures and can demonstrate no adverse impact to the integrity of the nature conservation interest, and the same goes for sites adjacent to locally designated sites.

The Local Plan specifically states that no development will be permitted that could give rise to significant adverse effects upon the Thames Basin Heaths SPA and/or the Thursley, Ash, Pirbright & Chobham Common SPAs – both of which would undoubtably be impacted upon by any development on your site.

The Local Plan goes even further to state how the Council will protect the Thames Basin Heaths SPA by stating that no net new residential development will be permitted within the ‘Inner Exclusion Zone’ of the SPA (the 4oom area).