Councillors Clash Over Wildlife Protection in Bracknell

Housebuilding vs nature has blown up in Bracknell, after a fight over how far councillors can protect wildlife on new developments.

At issue is making new habitat to replace old - often called re-wilding or, in council speak, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). Residents say it's too late for sites like Mushroom Castle in Winkfield Row, where campaigner Avril Haubrich says wildlife has been shut out and decisions were mishandled.

Haubrich says officers ruled out wildlife concerns, ignored statutory badger objections, misrepresented tree ownership and then passed her complaints back to the same officer. She has involved her MP and is considering judicial review under the Aarhus Convention, saying the council's failure to engage with environmental evidence has left residents with "no alternative but to seek public scrutiny".

Planning committee members, led by Tony Virgo and Patrick Smith, say past decisions and national rules tie their hands - especially after reserved matters are set. They told reporters they feel "tied by national policy" when fresh ecology evidence emerges.

Smith defended officers, saying: "We have a great team of professional officers who give us professional advice." Labour's executive member for Planning, Transport and Countryside, Guy Gillbe, hailed the cross-party motion as "productive discussions" that reached a result everyone could support.

The Labour administration points to a new Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure planning document that commits the borough to protect habitats, safeguard sites and secure at least 10 per cent biodiversity net gain on relevant schemes.

The motion from Virgo and Smith responds to Government plans to exempt schemes on sites of 0.2 hectares or less from mandatory BNG. It asks officers to explore how to keep the 10 per cent benefit locally, support wildlife corridors, warn ministers about cumulative impacts in wooded areas like Bracknell Forest, and report back in 12 months.

Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter