Towns and gardens
The green spaces of our towns and gardens bring nature into our daily lives, brightening our mornings with birdsong and the busy buzzing of bees. Together, the UK's gardens are larger than…
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Chwilio
Large red damselfly
If you have a garden pond, look out for the Large red damselfly resting at the water's edge. As the name suggests, males are bright red with a black thorax, but females may be almost entirely…
Shelduck
One of our largest ducks, the shelduck is a handsome creature with a dark green head, red bill and chestnut-brown band across its white body. Look out for it around most of our coastline,…
Common squid
The common squid is a weird and wonderful predator found all around our coasts.
Long-tailed duck
This dainty seaduck is a winter visitor to our coasts, particularly in northern and eastern Scotland.
Orca
Orca, sometimes known as ‘killer whales’, are unmistakable with their black and white markings. Although we do have a small group of orca who live in British waters, you would be lucky to see them…
My legacy
Kati wants her grandchildren to inherit a county that is rich in wildlife. That’s why she has left a legacy to Surrey Wildlife Trust
to help protect the countryside for Oliver and Harry.
My gym
Running out in the fresh air is more than a hobby for Andy, it is a way of life. Our nature reserves provide the perfect outdoor venue for him to exercise and get away from it all.
Decisions and Appeals
A planning application can be decided by the case officer or by the planning committee. Usually, wildlife concerns are addressed by conditions. These can relate to construction methods, mitigation and compensation and the aftercare and management of the site.
Candidate Sites Process
An important part of the Local Development Plan process is the submission and assessment of Candidate Sites. Early in the process, the Local Planning Authority will invite landowners, developers and the public to suggest sites for development or protection, to be included within the new Local Development Plan. You can suggest sites that should be protected, such as new nature reserves, at this stage.
Speaking at Planning Committee
Larger and more complex developments are usually decided by the planning committee. Each local planning authority will have its own rules as to which applications will be decided by the planning committee (called the scheme of delegation). You can find out if an application is going to be decided by committee by looking at the application information or by asking the case officer.
Marsh fritillary
This beautiful butterfly is one of our rarest, now mostly restricted to the western parts of the UK.