Warwick District Council have been ordered to pay a local wildlife group £1000 after their decision to approve a planning application failed to properly consider the effect of the development on local wildlife.
In the mid-2000s residential plans for land next to the site in question were approved by the Secretary of State at the time, with the provision that a bat barn should be created as part of the development.
In 2017, plans for a housing development on fields next to this original site were granted planning permission, despite concerns raised by ecologists.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman stated that planners failed to mention in their report that ecologists for the local authority had objected to the plans. The ecologists have calculated that the loss of biodiverse land due to the development equated to over £350,000.
Prior to work beginning on the site, the developer removed hedgerow and numerous trees that were important to bats at the site.
Chief Executive at the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Nigel Ellis, commented: ''When considering planning applications for particularly sensitive sites such as these, it is all the more important that planners gain the necessary information and advice in a timely manner, to give the committees approving applications the best chance of making an appropriate decision. Evidence of at least three different species of bats have been found at the site, and a nearby major infrastructure project had to be relocated because a rare species was found. In this case, because the necessary surveys were not conducted at the right time, we can never be sure just what impact the development has had on the local bat population.''
The Council have already begun looking into using their own land to offset the loss of biodiversity from the land. They have identified some woodland which is managed by a local wildlife group which could be improved for bat habitat. As well as the £1000 fine the Council will also have to provide new hibernation boxes for bats.
