artificial lagoon, which is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for
its winter wildfowl. This would appear inadequate, not least because the government
has set a Public Service Agreement (PSA) target to have 95% of SSSI's in favourable or
recovering conditionby 2010, and in effect a large part of the mitigation is a commitment
to work that may have had to be completed anyway.
It is clear therefore that despite the adverse residual impacts on biodiversity and the
inadequate mitigation proposed, there has been little effort to follow national planning
guidance. As an example the government's Planning Policy Statement 9 'Biodiversity
and Geological Conservation' states:
"Where a planning decision would result in significant harm to biodiversity and
geological interests which cannot be prevented or adequately mitigated against,
appropriate compensation measures should be sought. If that significant harm
cannot be prevented, adequately mitigated against, or compensated for, then
planning permission should be refused. "
Furthermore new legislation brought into force as part of the Natural Environment and
Rural Communities Act 2006, places a new biodiversity duty upon all public sector
bodies. The Act stales:
"Every public authority must, in exercising its functions, have regard, so far as is
consistentwith the proper exercise of those functions, to the purpose of conserving
biodiversity."
Again it remains to be seen how TTGDC has 'conserved' biodiversity in this instance.
Unfortunately this is just one, albeit high profile, example of the attitude to biodiversity
and the system of Local Wildlife Sites adopted by developers and in many cases local
planning authorities. Despite the rhetoric, the reality of sustainable development seems
as far way as ever.
The fungi of a postal delivery
Graham Smith 48 The Meads, Ingatestone
The Heybridge estate at Ingatestone is a part pre-war, par post-war housing develop-
ment on former farmland. It extends between the old London Road, now the B1002, and
the London-Norwich railway line. As a boy, in the 1950s, I played Cowboys & Indians
on what was then a building site and more than once, while bird nesting, was chased off
what remained of his farm by an irate farmer Howgego. In recent times - for more years
than I care to remember - I have delivered post to the estate, an association that is about
to come to an end with my early retirement.
16
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 52, January 2007