In 2014 Taylor Wimpey South East submitted a hybrid application for the redevelopment of land at Shorncliffe Garrison, Folkestone, which was subsequently approved. Plans included the construction of up to 1,200 homes, a new primary school and nursery, and new sports facilities and we have remained closely involved as this development has progressed over the last 10 years.
Since preparing detailed ecological, arboricultural and landscape inputs for the original application, CSA have since provided further support in discharging planning conditions, and providing update surveys and reports for a series of Reserved Matters applications.
Our landscape architects have completed the detailed landscape designs for Phase 1, 2 and 3, working closely with the rest of the design team.
Our ecologists have implemented several reptile translocations, moving reptiles out of development areas to nearby receptor areas and then continued to monitor these populations. We have also supervised the careful demolition of buildings containing bat roosts under numerous mitigation licences. New buildings have been designed to include bat, bird and insect boxes. A new bat loft has been carefully designed and constructed in the playing fields, to provide replacement roosting opportunities for a maternity roost of brown long-eared bats; monitoring of this building is ongoing.
Our team has also led the process of designing and agreeing management proposals for a substantial area of new public open space known as the Backdoor Training Area. This is an area with significant wildlife and archaeological interest and enormous potential. In the summer of 2023, our ecologists had help from the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership and volunteers from the Napier Barracks, currently housing asylum seekers, to install bat and bird boxes on trees throughout the woodland.