Background
BSG Ecology was commissioned by Enso Energy and Iron Acton Green Ltd to provide ecological support for their proposed solar farm in Gloucestershire. BSG was able to successfully apply Natural England Licencing Policy 4 to reduce standard survey requirement for great crested newt (GCN) and allow construction to commence without unnecessary delay.
Challenge
Initial survey work identified seven ponds within the Site and a further 11 within 250m. Further surveys revealed the presence of great crested newts within three of the off-site ponds, though they were likely absent from the on-site ponds. Two of the off-site ponds were sufficiently distant from the final development boundary to not merit further mitigation, however one of the off-site ponds was located less than 50m from the proposed site access point and two of the fields proposed for the creation of the Solar PV area. Mitigation was therefore required for GCN in this area.
As the surveys were carried out late in the eDNA survey period the full six surveys typically required to inform a population class assessment could not be carried out. The challenge therefore was to avoid unnecessary delays to the construction phase posed by the need for substantial further survey work.
Solution
Working with the client, BSG Ecology was able to provide a high level of confidence that a successful licence application under Natural England’s Licensing Policy 4 would be achievable. Licensing Policy 4 permits lower than standard survey effort for European Protected Species where evidence can be found, provided that ‘costs or delays associated with carrying out standard survey requirements would be disproportionate to the additional certainty that it would bring; ecological impacts of development can be predicted with sufficient certainty and mitigation or compensation will ensure that the licensed activity does not detrimentally affect the conservation status of the local population of any EPS1’.
It was determined that the pond was small and likely to only support a small population of GCN. Heavy grazing of the adjacent grassland and poaching of the pond margins was identified as being a limiting factor to the pond’s value for the species. It is also located on the edge of a woodland which was likely to be the main terrestrial habitats used by the species, rather than the arable land within the proposed Solar PV area.
A mitigation and enhancement strategy was designed which included exclusion of newts from the Solar PV areas within 250 m of the pond, a 30 day translocation period to be concluded with five clear days, habitat enhancement including allowing rougher grassland to develop by reducing grazing pressure, creating habitat piles and the creation of rough diverse grassland outside the Solar PV areas.
Outcome
The scheme was consented in August 2020. A Protected Species Mitigation Licence was obtained from Natural England and implemented by BSG Ecology in 2021 to allow construction to commence. The Solar Farm is now built and operational.
————
Photo Credit: Cero Generation