COMMENTS ON PLANNING APPLICATION DC/24/05236: TO BUILD LIDL SUPERMARKET ON LADY LANE, HADLEIGH
Introduction:
Hadleigh Environmental Action Team (HEAT) was established 5 years ago ‘to help people and organisations in Hadleigh to always take climate change and the resilience of the natural world into account when they make decisions’. Today it is a Community Interest Company and has 370 supporters. HEAT runs numerous projects and events including weekly volunteering, a new green highway, a community energy project, a food group, a river project, climate café and bat group. HEAT was the winner of the Suffolk Greenest County Community Group award in 2024.
Our comments on this planning application are concerned with the protection and promotion of habitat and wildlife, on which all our wellbeing depends, not on the commercial or community pros and cons of having another supermarket in Hadleigh. This reflects our focus on promoting biodiversity and doing what we can to mitigate and adapt to climate change
Overview
Having reviewed the documents and taken account of the history and context of biodiversity in Hadleigh and its surroundings we object to the development of a supermarket on this site for the following reasons:
· This development needs to be seen in the context of other local developments that have already impacted on the environment. Hadleigh has seen the systematic loss of green spaces around its borders as the town expands. Whilst on a case by case basis each development seems valid, cumulatively the loss of this green space has a negative impact on nature and the wellbeing of the community, in particular children and young people.
· If this development goes ahead then HEAT wishes to see stronger protection of trees, hedgerows and wildlife with Lidl being held to account from the beginning to end. Every tree, every bush, every blade of grass is part of an ecological system that sustains us all and we have seen what happens when developers get hold of land and claim to increase biodiversity (Starbucks)
· As a community organisation our concerns go beyond statutory requirements and regulations that are useful as a baseline but limited when it comes to community green spaces. For example, there is no consideration of the loss of soil in these reports
· HEAT is able to take an integrated approach to this application as opposed to the silos reflected in the reports.
· In these comments we take a pragmatic approach and, should permission be granted, we make recommendations for minimising the impact on biodiversity.
· We have taken account the recommendations made by Place Services on landscape and ecology
Specific comments
1. We welcome the attention given to the following ecological recommendations made by ENZYGO in their ecological impact assessment and would wish to see these as being a condition of any planning permission with Lidl being held to account for meeting these.
a. Switching off lighting at closing time to protect bats.
b. Replanting to replace the existing ‘species rich hedgerow’
c. Bird boxes
d. Bat boxes (purchasing these from Hadleigh Bat Group to support our bat protection work)
e. Building deadwood habitats
2. There is no mention made in these reports of the ecological impact of the loss of soil and the impact of building on deeper levels. Soil is central to the regulation of the earth’s ecosystem and is increasingly valued for its biodiversity, role in carbon capture. microbial communication and plant protection. Measures to protect soil, prevent erosion and minimise disturbance should be required and monitored during the building process
3. HEAT river group has been monitoring the health of the River Brett and wishes to highlight the following comments by Anglian Water: ‘the site is unsustainable due to the associated pollution risk and the increased discharge rates, which could lead to a deterioration in water quality and an unacceptable risk of breaching environmental legislation at Hadleigh WRC. Considering these concerns, we recommend that planning permission be refused on the grounds of insufficient infrastructure capacity and to prevent environmental harm.’ HEAT finds this alarming given the River Brett’s current ‘moderate’ and declining water quality status due to agricultural runoff quality as assessed by the EA.
4. Whilst this field may not be seen as important on its own, all open arable land and hedgerows provide refuge and foraging habitat for hedgehogs, hare and invertebrates.
· On Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) HEAT regrets that Babergh opted for 10% requirement rather the 20% that is legally possible. We note that there is a requirement that Lidl creates 1.92 habitat units and 0.05 hedgerow units. The legislation lays down an expectation that these units be used locally and ‘buying on the open market should be a last resort’. Therefore, any off site credits need to be used to support biodiversity in Hadleigh. There are plenty of places within and around Hadleigh that HEAT can help Lidl and Babergh to support.
· We would like to know how Babergh intends to monitor the environmental protections and BNG units that Lidl would be required to undertake if planning permission is given.
Kate Billingham
Gale Pryor
Kat Kramer
Paul Hodgkin
HEAT
11.01.25