Ecology
ECOLOGICAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Client: David Wilson Homes
Background: Landmark was commissioned in 2000 by David Wilson Homes to undertake an ecological assessment of an allocated development site on the outskirts of Basingstoke, followed by production of the ecological element of an EIA. We produced a protected species management plan that formed part of a S106 Agreement, and prepared the application for a European Protected Species (EPS) licence to enable development and implementation of the mitigation strategy.
Description: The 80 acre site comprised arable land, bordered by hedgerows and a small copse, located adjacent to Popley Ponds Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC). The pond is a known breeding site for the European protected great crested newt and the application site represented the last remaining open countryside bordering Popley Ponds. Surveys of the breeding pond were undertaken to establish the population size and to determine the use of terrestrial habitat within the site by great crested newts. A mitigation strategy was then formulated in collaboration with English Nature, entailing creation of a 40m wide buffer of rough grass / scrub habitat along the boundary with the breeding pond, and two similar corridors with large culvert underpasses beneath road crossings, linking through the site to countryside beyond. As an enhancement measure, two new ponds were proposed with potential to re-establish links to an extant breeding population of great crested newts 1km from Popley Ponds.
Client Benefits : High quality research, close collaboration with English Nature, and supervision by our Ecological Clerk of Works to ensure adherence to the EPS licence, minimised development impact on an ecologically sensitive site, as well as creating an attractive environment for new residents. Planning consent was granted in 2005 and Landmark continues to oversee creation of the newt habitat, in conjunction with the phased translocation of great crested newts in advance of development. Long term monitoring will be undertaken to establish the success of the project and inform future management.
