Project background
Home of Production (HOP) is a proposed sustainable film studios development located within Quest Pit, near Stewartby in Bedfordshire. The project represents an extremely important opportunity for the local economy and specifically for local people. However, the site, which is a former clay brick works, was designated as a County Wildlife Site (CWS) in 2015. Owing to the recognised ecological value of the site, it was very important that the development proposals were designed to minimise the on-site impacts and demonstrate a net environmental gain in the wider area.
Scope of services
RSK Wilding were initially brought into the project post-submission of the planning application in order to carry out a peer review of the ecology components following significant objections from consultees. One of the key failings was that a 35% loss of biodiversity had been predicted, with no plans to resolve this failing.
Through the preparation of a comprehensive BNG Strategy for the project, including the development of substantial offsetting proposals, we were able to demonstrate a 10% BNG. We also secured a significant amount of land close to the development site for the proposed off-site habitat creation.
As part of the Regulation 25 supplementary information submission for the project we also carried out a thorough re-write of the Ecology chapter of the ES, including a detailed assessment of the implications for the CWS qualifying species and a comprehensive set of compensation measures. In addition, we also obtained a District Level Licence (DLL) for great crested newts from NatureSpace and agreed a significant amount of woodland planting in order to comply with the requirements of the Forest of Marston Vale.
In order to satisfy Central Bedfordshire Council that the needs of the CWS habitats and species would be catered for, both on-site and off-site, we drafted both a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) and a Landscape and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP) focused on these important ecological receptors. We then helped present the development at the Planning Committee in August 2023 – where the key focus was on ecology – and consent was granted. Following the writers’ strike in America, the investor subsequently pulled out, so the project is on hold.
Impact
We were brought in to assist the client with their planning application for a major film studio development within a very sensitive site. Our significant contribution was to help secure consent for this economically important scheme whilst at the same time ensuring a significant gain for biodiversity.