North West Sittingbourne Land adjacent Quinton Farmhouse, Quinton Road Appendix 13.1 jb planning associates environmental statement Redrow Homes Land at North West Sittingbourne Preliminary Ecological Assessment September 2012 Land at North-West Sittingbourne, Kent September 2012 Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 4 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................ 4 SITE CONTEXT AND STATUS ....................................................................................................................... 4 PLANNING POLICIES ................................................................................................................................... 5 2.0 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................ 9 SITE INSPECTION ......................................................................................................................................... 9 BADGER SURVEY ....................................................................................................................................... 10 TREE ASSESSMENT FOR BATS ................................................................................................................... 11 HABITAT SUITABILITY FOR REPTILES ....................................................................................................... 12 HABITAT SUITABILITY FOR GREAT CRESTED NEWTS .............................................................................. 12 LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................................................................. 13 3.0 RESULTS .......................................................................................................................................... 13 DESKTOP STUDY ....................................................................................................................................... 13 UK and Kent BAP Priority and Broad Habitats ................................................................................. 13 Designated sites .................................................................................................................................... 15 Protected Species .................................................................................................................................. 16 Previous Surveys .................................................................................................................................. 19 PHASE 1 HABITAT SURVEY ....................................................................................................................... 21 Arable fields .......................................................................................................................................... 22 Semi-improved grassland ..................................................................................................................... 22 Hedgerows and standard trees ............................................................................................................. 22 Water filled drainage ditch and pond ................................................................................................... 23 Tall ruderal vegetation and scrub ........................................................................................................ 24 BADGER SURVEY ....................................................................................................................................... 24 ASSESSMENT FOR BATS ............................................................................................................................. 25 HABITAT SUITABILITY FOR REPTILES ....................................................................................................... 25 HABITAT SUITABILITY FOR GREAT CRESTED NEWTS ................................................................................ 25 OTHER SPECIES ......................................................................................................................................... 26 4.0 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................. 26 ECOLOGICAL VALUE, MITIGATION, RECOMMENDATIONS AND ENHANCEMENTS ............................... 26 REPTILES .................................................................................................................................................... 27 BADGERS ................................................................................................................................................... 28 GREAT CREST NEWTS ............................................................................................................................... 30 BATS .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 BREEDING AND GROUND NESTING BIRDS .............................................................................................. 33 GENERAL SITE ENHANCEMENTS ............................................................................................................. 34 5.0 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................. 35 6.0 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 37 APPENDIX 1: HABITAT MAP ................................................................................................................ 39 APPENDIX 2: PHOTOGRAPHS ............................................................................................................. 40 The Ecology Partnership 2 Land at North-West Sittingbourne, Kent September 2012 LIABILITIES: Whilst eVery effort has been made to guarantee the accuracy of this report, it should be noted that living creatures are capable of migration and whilst protected species may not haVe been located during the surVey duration, their presence may be found on a site at a later date. The Views and opinions contained within this document are based on a reasonable timeframe between the completion of the survey and the commencement of any works. If there is any delay between the commencement of works that may conflict with timeframes laid out within this document, or haVe the potential to allow the ingress of protected species, a suitably qualified ecologist should be consulted. It is the duty of care of the landowner/deVeloper to act responsibly and comply with current enVironmental legislation if protected species are suspected or found prior to or during works. The Ecology Partnership 3 Land at North-West Sittingbourne, Kent September 2012 1.0 Introduction Background 1.1 The Ecology Partnership was commissioned by JB Planning to undertake an extended Phase 1 Habitat SurVey on land in North-West Sittingbourne, Kent. 1.2 This report presents the results of the surveys in and around the proposed site, which aims specifically to assess the sites potential to support protected species and protected habitats that may be affected by the proposed development. 1.3 Section 2 of this report sets out the methodologies of the surveys. In section 3 the results of the surveys are presented. Discussions and implications for deVelopment are found in section 4. Section 5 presents the enhancements and mitigation plan. Conclusions drawn from the report in section 6. Site Context and Status 1.4 The site is situated on the north-west side of Sittingbourne in Kent (OS Grid Ref: TQ 901 660). The surrounding local area comprises agricultural fields, residential and commercial properties, marshland, hedgerows, tree lines, woodland and waterbodies, such as ponds and the RiVer Swale. Residential properties are situated to the south and east of the site. Immediately to the west of the site is the main A249 with agricultural land further afield. To the north of the site extends the main A249, areas of marshland and commercial properties. Description of Proposed Development 1.5 The site has been identified as the North West Sittingbourne Strategic Allocation in Swale Borough Council’s Draft Core Strategy: Bearing Fruits (March 2012) and coVers an area of approximately 83.5 ha. 1.6 The Council’s proposals are for a mixed use deVelopment comprising: The Ecology Partnership 4 Land at North-West Sittingbourne, Kent September 2012 • 880 dwellings; • 69,100 m2 employment floor space; • At least 22 ha of major strategic open space/landscape; • Proposed secondary and primary schools; • Enhancement to bus and rail facilities; • Highway access Via GroVehurst Road; and • A renewable energy strategy based on a district heating system. 1.7 The site is identified in the Council’s Strategic Housing Land AVailability Assessment (SHLAA) as a potentially suitable site for development. 1.8 It is enVisaged that the findings of preVious surVeys undertaken by URS Scott Wilson Ltd and Ecosulis Ltd, along with the Extended Phase 1 Habitat surVey undertaken by PJC Consultancy Ltd and this report will feed into the preparation of a comprehensiVe masterplan for the strategic allocation. The Phase