Loss of Valuable Wildlife Habitat

• Bushfield Camp has become a rich natural habitat after more than 40 years without development.
   
• The site now supports woodland, scrub and species-rich chalk grassland, which are valuable wildlife habitats.
   
• It is officially recognised as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC).
   
• Surveys have recorded many protected and notable species, including:
   
  • hazel dormouse
     
  • 10 species of bat
     
  • reptiles, birds and hundreds of invertebrate species.
     
• The development would lead to the loss of around 20 hectares of this habitat, replacing it with buildings, roads and parking.
   
• National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF Paragraph 180) says planning decisions should protect biodiversity and strengthen ecological networks.
   
• Local Plan Policy CP16 (Biodiversity) requires development to protect and enhance wildlife habitats.
   
• Local Plan Policy NE2 provides protection for local wildlife sites such as SINCs.
   
• The development would remove a large part of the Bushfield SINC, which represents a significant loss of designated wildlife habitat.
   
• The site is identified in the Hampshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) as an Area of Particular Importance for Biodiversity.
   
• Public authorities must have regard to the LNRS when making planning decisions under the Environment Act 2021.
   
• Removing large areas of habitat in a designated nature recovery area conflicts with the aim of restoring wildlife and improving ecological networks.
  
• The developer claims the project would deliver Biodiversity Net Gain, but this relies on creating new habitats later.
   
• However, the development would destroy high-value chalk grassland, which is very difficult to recreate.
   
• Planning rules say high-value habitats should normally be replaced like-for-like, not with lower-value urban habitats such as green roofs or tree planting.
   
• Newly created habitats may also take many years to develop, creating a long period where wildlife is worse off.
   
• Bushfield forms part of an important wildlife corridor linking the River Itchen valley with the South Downs National Park.
   
• Development across the centre of the site could fragment this corridor, making it harder for species such as bats and dormice to move through the landscape.
   

Bushfield Camp has become an important wildlife site and part of the local ecological network.