Killerton Green Recovery Challenge Fund – River Culm Floodplain April 2021 Planning Supporting Statement Page 1 Supporting Statement This short statement has been provided to outline the context of the planning application for wetland scrapes within the River Culm floodplain. National Trust are working in partnership with Westcountry Rivers Trust to deliver a habitat enhancement and creation project on a section of River Culm floodplain at the National Trust Killerton Estate near Exeter. The project is funded through the National Heritage Lottery ‘Green Recovery Challenge Fund’. A stipulation of the fund is that all works must be completed by March 2022. The National Lottery Heritage Fund is distributing the Green Recovery Challenge Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency, on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). Consultation with the planning department at East Devon District Council indicated that wetland scrapes being proposed under the scheme would require planning permission, and therefore this statement has been produced to support the planning application for the scrape features. The site is located approximately 6km north-east of Exeter in Devon (National Grid Reference SS96690098). The wider project site covers approximately 46ha of floodplain and associated habitats within the National Trust Killerton estate. The site is dominated by cattle grazed pasture with associated hedgerows, standard trees and areas of scrub. The River Culm flows through the site, which is regularly subject to flooding and periodically holds water in existing landscape depressions. The site lies in a rural environment and forms part of the wider Killerton Estate that is owned and managed by the National Trust. The mainline railway forms part of the northern boundary of the site and the site is surrounded by wider agricultural land and blocks of woodland. The proposed scrapes form part of a targeted habitat enhancement and creation project that aims to increase habitat and species diversity throughout the floodplain. The proposed scrapes are being created within species poor grassland and no other habitats will be lost. It is considered that with appropriate methods and mitigation during construction to ensure that there are no impacts to surrounding habitats, and particularly the river, the project will provide a hugely significant Page 2 positive impact to habitats and species and greatly enhance the floodplain for local wildlife and visitors. The proposed timescale for the works: • April – June 2021 – Obtain consents • June – August/September 2021 – Groundworks • October 2021 – Feb 2022 – Additional habitat enhancements including tree planting and arboricultural works A public information event was undertaken on Tuesday 20th April to showcase the plans and wider vision to the public, surrounding landowners and other stakeholders. Liaison has also been undertaken with statutory bodies including the Environment Agency and Devon County Council historic team. A scheme of survey and monitoring is proposed to update the existing ecological and archaeological baseline and assess the impact of the habitat enhancements through the longer-term. Page 3 Figure 5. Indicative development plan Key Scrape Area of other habitat enhancements including wildflower grassland, tree and scrub planting 4 .