Comment

Representation ID: 2193

Received: 28/09/2021

Respondent: Norfolk County Council - Senior Ecologist

SN0552 - Land off Watton Road, Barford
Rating: Green no major ecological constraints identified from desk-top search. Surveys, and biodiversity enhancement in accordance with policy required.
The application site lies across two fields, one south of Watton Road (grazing? /rough grassland), and one on the corner of Back Land and Watton Road (arable). The application site at Barford is located within a SSSI IRZ but 'residential' is not listed as a trigger requiring consultation with Natural England. It is located within a Strategic GI corridor, which should inform the EcIA and layout/enhancement of the site. The site is also located in the Amber Zone for District Level Licensing. A search of MAGIC shows that no Priority Habitats are onsite (the field to the south is shown on the 1905 OS map as an orchard). Applications for planning consent should be accompanied by a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal/Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) which, together with the mitigation hierarchy should inform the design. Consideration should be given to delivering Biodiversity Net Gain.