Bath and North East Somerset Council’s plans to build 37 houses on a protected site will go ahead despite its own expert’s fears for a rare habitat.
How the proposed homes off Englishcombe Lane could look | Image © Boyesrees Architects / B&NES Council
It is a month since the authority declared an ecological emergency and one resident said it would be a “travesty” if it failed its first test.
But councillors who backed the development in Englishcombe Lane said it would set a positive precedent – showing they expect a net gain to biodiversity if habitats are lost.
The plans propose off-setting the impact by creating new habitats at a larger site in Pennyquick Lane.
Addressing the planning committee on 26th August, objector Danny Groves noted that the council’s own ecologist had objected and said: “A rare and extremely important feature for local ecology will be destroyed.
“This council took steps just weeks ago to declare an ecological emergency. Wouldn’t it be a travesty if, faced with the first big test, you failed?”
The site features tufa springs, a rare geological phenomenon, of county-level importance.
Planning officer Tessa Hampden told the meeting the council’s ecologist was not certain the habitats could be recreated but a university professor was “comfortable the strategy should work”.
Jackie Pethick, who lives near the development site, warned that the land was unstable and “totally inadequate” for building on, adding: “The development would be an ecological disaster and could be considered negligent and a risky use of public funds.”
Graham Sabourn, the council’s head of housing, backed the scheme saying it would deliver 37 much-needed homes, 14 of which would be affordable, in part thanks to a Homes England grant.
Planning agent Gareth Williams said the site had been allocated for housing and there was a comprehensive package of ecological mitigation measures that would boost biodiversity by 64 per cent.
He said tufa springs are unpredictable and can dry up on their own or be affected by changes to drainage on neighbouring land.
Through its climate emergency declaration, the council committed to resist the destruction of habitats and boost biodiversity, which it recognised as being in “critical decline”.
The motion was proposed by Moorlands ward member Jess David, who said the Englishcombe Lane development was making “too many compromises” for current and future residents and was unacceptable.
Cllr Sue Craig said she struggled to see how building houses justified the risk of the tufa spring and all the wildlife, while Cllr Eleanor Jackson criticised the “appalling” design of the properties.
But Cllr Sally Davis, who backed the proposals, said: “This is one of the most difficult decisions we’ve had to make. What clinched it for me is the amount of work that’s gone into the ecological mitigation.”
Committee chair Matt McCabe added: “All development on a greenfield site causes harm. Any kind of mitigation on another site may not work.
“There will be a 64 per cent biodiversity net gain. The size of the new site is four times the size of the site that’s going to be developed.
“We’ve declared an ecological emergency. Does that demand we have to stop all development where some habitat is lost, or do we set a precedent of saying we will accept it if there’s a biodiversity net gain?”
The development was approved by five votes to four against.
Stephen Sumner, Local Democracy Reporter
