Planning Issues

Q: There are developers planning to build in an area that may be of natural value: what should I do?

This basic question is our most-frequently-asked question of all! And the answer is suitably complex.

As the Ulster Wildlife Trust is a charity, we do not have the resources to deal with every planning query that comes to us (and there are many every day). So, what can you do if you know of a development on a genuinely worthy site? In order for us to help you, you have to do some legwork in the first instance:

Write us a report including -

A detailed description of the site, why you think it has wildlife value

Use some of the questions below to guide you -

What makes the land valuable from the point of view of the enviroment?
Are there animals or rare wildflowers there?
If so, what animals/plants?
When did you last see these animals?
If the area for proposed development is a woodland, do you know if there are any Tree Protection Orders in place?
Has the site been surveyed for wildlife?

A description of what damage any development might cause - include answers to the questions below -

Has the development already been approved?
Are you alone in opposing this development?
What do your neighbours think?

Supply a copy of the submission to the planning office, plans and so on.

Photographs of the site, with particular focus upon what makes it valuable and/or will be destroyed should the site be interfered with. While this may be difficult in the case of proving the presence of e.g. badgers or smooth newts, it is particularly effective in relation to wildflowers such as bluebells.

Include anything you feel is relevant to wildlife issues on the site: remember, evidence that can be proved is valuable, not hearsay or stories of wildlife once having been there: you need to be able to show that there is wildlife inhabiting the site now, and if possible, demonstrate that this wildlife is of particular value (e.g. a protected species).

While this might seem like a tall order, it has been made necessary by the number of requests for our assistance.

For additional information, check here: http://www.planningni.gov.uk