(Title Image: Wales Online)
Bridgend Council planning officers have refused to grant permission to a small residential development at Briary Wood in Brackla.
A previous application on the land was withdrawn in September 2018, but altered plans were resubmitted in December 2018.
The planning department’s report (pdf) says that while the land is privately owned and the owner is under no obligation to maintain the trees, the trees themselves are protected as part of a wider area of recognised ancient woodland at Tremains Wood.
The planning officer’s reasons for refusal lie mainly with the loss of biodiversity in Tremains Wood. Also, the applicant failed to provide enough information on the presence of protected species (particularly bats) and also failed to provide detail on any measures they would take to compensate for the loss of habitat.
