CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCIL LOCAL WILDLIFE SITE REVIEW 2016 CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCIL LOCAL WILDLIFE SITE REVIEW 2016 April 2016 Prepared by Essex Ecology Services Ltd. EECOS Abbotts Hall Farm, Great Wigborough, Colchester, Essex, CO5 7RZ 01621 862986, [email protected] Company Registered No. 2853947 VAT Registered No. 945 7459 77 Chelmsford City Council Civic Centre Client Duke Street Chelmsford CM1 1JE Client Representative Claire Stuckey, Senior Planning Officer Author Adrian Knowles BSc FRES MIEEM, Senior Ecologist Approved By Neil Harvey BSc MIEEM, Manager of EECOS Report Status Final Date of Issue 7th April 2016 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ EECOS, April 2016 Chelmsford City Council Local Wildlife Sites Review 2016 IMPORTANT NOTES Nomenclature and Definitions The very first report to identify a standardised suite of important wildlife sites within what was then Chelmsford Borough, produced in 1992, coined the term “Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation” (SINC). This was followed, in 2004, by a review of these sites under the term “Wildlife Site”. The current, generally accepted term of “Local Wildlife Site” (LoWS) has now been adopted throughout Essex. Where a building, other property or location is used in the name of a LoWS it is not being implied that ownership of that LoWS is associated with the property named. It is merely a descriptive use for ease of locating a piece of land that might have no publicly recognised name or other obvious geographical location. The Local Wildlife Sites Partnership for Essex would be pleased to receive details of more widely recognised names where they exist. In the report, when a location is referred to as a Site (with a capital S) this is an abbreviation that means it is a Local Wildlife Site. When ‘Chelmsford’ is referred to in this report, this means the whole of Chelmsford City Council’s administrative area unless there is specific reference to the ‘City’ or ‘Urban Area’. Scope The National Planning Policy Framework places a responsibility on all local planning authorities to protect and enhance their flora, fauna and wildlife habitats (“biodiversity”) and also geological features and soils (“geodiversity”). This report only considers the former. Our appreciation of geodiversity and the requirements to conserve it are at a more elementary stage in Essex, with ongoing research into a series of LoGS (Local Geological/geomorphological Sites). Rationale It is hoped that this identification of Local Wildlife Sites is not seen as a hindrance to the livelihood of those landowners affected, or an attempt to blindly influence the management of such sites. It is an attempt to describe the wildlife resource we have in the county as a whole, which has been preserved thus far as a result of the management by landowners. The Essex Wildlife Trust and the Local and Unitary Authorities of Essex hope to be able to help landowners retain and enhance this biodiversity for the future. In recent years, the existence of a Local Wildlife Site on a farm has been seen as an advantage when applying for grant-aid from agri-environment schemes, with such grants favouring areas with a proven nature conservation interest. Public Access Identification as a Local Wildlife Site within this report does not confer any right of public access to the site, above and beyond any Public Rights of Way that may exist. The vast majority of the Sites are in private ownership and this should be respected at all times. Those few sites that are described as being appropriate for environmental education already have some level of public access. With the register of Sites, a simple statement of public access is given for each site so that the interested countryside walker might be able to view and enjoy the rich natural heritage of Chelmsford from recognised vantage points. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ EECOS, April 2016 Chelmsford City Council Local Wildlife Sites Review 2016 Land Ownership It has always been the intention of the Essex Wildlife Trust to contact all landowners of LoWS, advising them of this identification and promoting nature conservation management of the site. To that end, the Essex Wildlife Trust has appointed a Local Wildlife Sites Officer to administer this suite of sites across the county. While this lengthy undertaking is in progress it is requested that the Essex Wildlife Trust is contacted prior to any formal approach regarding any Site identified within this report. Boundaries Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure accurate mapping of the site boundaries, the accompanying maps should be considered as being illustrative only. This is especially true for any SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest), which are included within LoWS site boundary maps to help interpret the context of LoWS in the wider countryside. Definitive SSSI boundaries are maintained by Natural England and can be viewed on the ‘Magic’ website (www.magic.gov.uk). The Essex Wildlife Trust’s Local Wildlife Sites Officer should be consulted over the precise boundary of all Local Wildlife Sites, should any dispute occur or precise determination be required. Planning The information within this report should not be used as a bypass to the normal planning consultation process. It is inevitable that, with the passage of time, some Local Wildlife Sites will be lost or damaged to the extent that they are no longer considered as such. Similarly, new Sites may be identified and periodically added to the list for each Local Authority. For these reasons, the Essex Wildlife Trust still wishes to be consulted on all planning proposals affecting significant areas of open countryside, regardless of whether or not they apparently affect a Site detailed within this report. This report will allow a greater understanding of the wildlife resources of Chelmsford and will make the consultation process much faster and more cost-effective. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that there should be a presumption in favour of sustainable development, with the caveat that all sites of significant nature conservation value should be afforded appropriate protection within the planning system. This might lead to an assumption that all land outside of LoWS designation is fit to be developed, with no nature conservation issues. This is most definitely not the case. Legally protected bat roosts, Great Crested Newt breeding ponds with associated terrestrial habitat and Badger setts are not routinely identified within the LoWS register for any Local Authority, yet they remain important material considerations that could be affected by planning proposals. Failure to consider these and other similar wildlife issues could result in an offence being committed by a developer if the ecological issues relating to a site are not properly explored prior to the submission of a planning application. It is recommended that no planning consent is granted without an appropriate ecological assessment accompanying the planning submission. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ EECOS, April 2016 Chelmsford City Council Local Wildlife Sites Review 2016 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 General Introduction.............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Background to Site Designation in Chelmsford .................................................................... 1 1.3 Objectives of the Current Review ......................................................................................... 2 1.4 Review Process and Methodology ........................................................................................ 3 1.5 Limitations of the Survey ...................................................................................................... 5 2. RESULTS ........................................................................................................................................ 7 2.1 Identification of Local Wildlife Sites .................................................................................... 7 2.2 Changes to 2004 LoWS Network .......................................................................................... 9 2.3 Additions ............................................................................................................................. 12 2.4 Summary of Additions/Deletions ........................................................................................ 13 2.5 Other Sites ........................................................................................................................... 13 3. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................ 15 3.1 Local Wildlife Site Network ............................................................................................... 15 3.2 Living Landscapes ............................................................................................................... 17 3.3 England BAP and Habitats of Principal Importance in England (HPIE) ............................ 23 3.4 County Context...................................................................................................................