Great Created Newt Survey Letter Report Project Code A Barrowcroft Wood, Bradley Hall Date: July 2012

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1 Great Created Newt Survey Letter Report Project Code A Site: Barrowcroft Wood, Bradley Hall Date: July 2012 Background WYG Environment was commissioned by HIMOR in April 2012 to undertake great crested newt Triturus cristatus surveys at waterbodies within Barrowcroft Wood and within 500m of Barrowcroft wood (hereafter referred to as the site ) with the aim of identifying potential ecological constraints in relation to great crested newts (hereafter abbreviated to GCN ) and development activity. The great crested newt is afforded protection under the Conservation of Habitats & Species Regulations 2010 which applies to all of its life stages. The great crested newt is also listed on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). Site Description The study site is located within Standish, Wigan (central OS Grid reference: SD ) and is approximately 42ha in size. The northern half of the is comprises Bradley Hall Trading Estate, while Barrowcroft Woods adjoin the site to the south. Bradley Lane forms the northern boundary of the site, while Rectory Lane forms the southern boundary. A railway line is present to the east and residential dwellings adjoin the site to northwest and agriculture fields to the southwest. Survey Objectives The aims of the survey work and the subsequent report presented herein were to: Methods Determine the presence or likely absence of great crested newts at the site; Determine the population size class of great crested newts if confirmed to be present; Provide an appraisal of the implications created by the potential presence of great crested newts at the site; Establish if any potential affects on great crested newts caused by the development are permissible; Ensure that the required level of survey work is conducted to apply for a licence, should one be necessary; and Provide preliminary advice on mitigation strategies against any adverse affects on local great crested newt population(s) which may arise as a result of the proposed development. The methodolgy used followed thast of the English Nature s Great Crested Newt Mitigation Guidelines (2001). Accessible ponds within 500m of the Barrowcroft Woodland site boundary were assessed using the Habitat Suitability Index and then subject to a presence / absence survey. A total of eleven ponds were surveyed. Habitat Suitability Index The Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) provides an objective method for assessing the suitability of a pond as habitat for great crested newts (Oldham et al., 2000; Herpetological Conservation Trust, 2008). The system provides an index between 0 and 1, with 0 indicating unsuitable habitat and 1 optimal habitat. Presence / Likely Absence Surveys The aim of the presence / likely absence surveys was to determine the presence or likely absence of great crested newts at particular water bodies. Quay West, Trafford Wharf Road, Salford Quays, Manchester, M17 1HH Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) ecology.manchester@wyg.com

2 The initial four presence / absence surveys were undertaken between 02/03/2012 and 01/05/12, with at least 2 out of the 4 surveys being completed during the peak period for GCN activity, which is mid April mid May (Appendix A). All surveys were undertaken by suitably qualified and trained ecologists working under survey licences from Natural England (Rachel Kerr, Senior Ecologist survey licence number ). Where possible, three survey methods were performed on each survey in accordance with guidelines given in the Great Crested Newt Mitigation Guidelines (2001). Possible survey methods employed include; bottle trapping, torchlight survey, egg search and netting. Terrestrial seraches were also conducted at pond 1. Limitations A total of 17 ponds are recorded to fall within 500m of the site, however only 11 ponds (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15a, 15b and 16) were surveyed (see Figure 1 for locations). Access was not provided to ponds 2, 9 and 10, ponds 4, 12 and 14 were not surveyed for health & safety reasons and pond 7 was dry at the time of survey. It should be noted that all surveys were conducted at temperatures >5 C and during periods of no rain. Survey Results Habitat Suitability Index Results for the HSI (Appendix B) revealed one pond to fall into the excellent category, six ponds to be average, five ponds to be below average and four ponds to be poor. It should be noted that access to pond 2 was not provided. Presence / Absence and Population Assessment Survey Results Bottle traps were set in the evening before sunset, whilst torchlight surveys were conducted after sunset. Bottle traps were then checked the following morning, when egg searches were also conducted. In total seven (1, 3, 5, 6, 11, 15a, 15b) of the eleven ponds surveyed had great crested newts present (see Figure 1). Therefore, in accordance with survey guidelines an additional 2 surveys were undertaken at those ponds to gain an indication of the population size. Appendix C shows the total count obtained at each of the eleven ponds surveyed. Summary of Results Seven of the eleven ponds surveyed (1, 3, 5, 6, 11, 15a, 15b) were recorded to have GCN s present. All seven of the ponds were also confirmed to be GCN breeing ponds, with the exception of pond 3. However, it is to be be assumed that pond 3 is also a breeding pond. Restricted and difficult bank access at pond 3 made extensive egg searches not possible and therefore confidence in a negative result i.e. GCN eggs are not present, is low. Six of the ponds had small GCN populations (up to 10 indiviuals at any one time), while pond 1 recorded a medium population (between 11 and 100), with a peak count of 51 individual adults during one survey visit. Three waterbodies are present within the boundary of Barrowcroft Wood, while 15 ponds are present within a 500m radius of Barrowcroft Wood. In addition, potentially suitable terrestrial habitat is present both within the site and along the site boundary that would provide a foraging and refuge resource for GCN whilst facilitating GCN migration. Therefore it is considered likley that GCN will be present wihtin the site during their terrestrial phase. Ecological Constraints, Impacts and Recommendations Based on the conclusions drawn above, it is recommended that the existing ponds and woodland habitats, both on site and along the boundaries of the site be retained and protected against disturbance during development.

3 It is crucial to the local GCN population that terrestrial connectivity be maintained between each of these waterbodies, as this will allow newt dispersal, prevent fragmentation and therefore isolation of GCN populations in this area. The presence of great crested newts in ponds on site and within 500m of the boundaries will have implications on the development of the site, in that, the species is protected by UK law and UK transposition of EU Directives. Any work which may result in the disturbance/killing or injury of a great crested newt is classed as an offence under European and UK legislation. A European Protected Species Development Licence should be applied for from Natural England to allow the development to proceed lawfully under the Conservation of Habitats & Species Regulations Mitigation will be required, in the form of new aquatic and terrestrial habitat equal to or greater than the amounts to be lost during redevelopment of the site. Suitable mitigation would be confirmed during consultation with Natural England as part of the licence application process. Mitigation for the site is likely to include: capturing and removing any great crested newts from the proposed development area; Minimising the risk of harm to newts by excluding them from the development footprint; Ensuring that new planting and other landscaping creates appropriate habitat for great crested newts and subsequent management accounts for this species; Monitoring the population of an annual basis during an appropriate 'aftercare' period to assess the success of the mitigation measures and ensure the population is maintained at favourable conservation status. Once plans for the site and receptor site have been finalised, a detailed mitigation strategy will need to be agreed with Natural England and the County Ecologist. If works do not commence within two years from the date of this report, all on site ponds and ponds within 500m of the development site should be reassessed for their suitability to support great crested newts and repeat surveys carried out, if appropriate. For WYG Environment Planning Transport Ltd. Prepared by: Katie Burrough Consultant Ecologist Checked by: Rachel Kerr Senior Ecologist Katie.burrough@WYG.com Tel:

4 References English Nature (2001) Great Crested Newt Mitigation Guidelines, English Nature, Peterborough. Oldham R.S., Keeble J, Swan M.J.S. & Jeffcote M. (2000) Evaluating the suitability of habitat for the Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus). Herpetological Journal 10(4),

5 Figure 1 N OS 1:10,000

6 Appendix A Table 1 - Survey Dates Survey number Survey dates (evening / morning) Peak period for activity 1 02/03/12 No 2 10/04/12 No 3 16/04/12 Yes 4 23/04/12 Yes 5 01/05/12 Yes 6 09/05/12 Yes 7 15/05/12 Yes Appendix B Table 2 - Habitat Suitability Index Results Pond Reference Pond Suitability Pond 1 Excellent Pond 2 * Pond 3 Pond 4 Pond 5 Pond 6 Below Pond 7 Below Pond 8 Below Pond 9 Pond 10 Pond 11 Pond 12 Pond 13 Pond 14 Pond 15a Below Pond 15b Below Pond 16 * = no access provided to pond 2

7 Appendix C Table 3 - Survey Results Water Body Total count Water Body Total Count 62 GCN Pond 1 30 Smooth 1 Palmate Pond 10 * 4 GCN Pond 2 * Pond Smooth 16 Palmate Pond 3 2 GCN 22 Smooth 71 Palmate Pond 12 ** Pond 4 ** Pond 13 2 Palmate 4 GCN Pond 5 8 Smooth 42 Palmate Pond 14 ** 1 GCN 14 GCN Pond 6 8 Smooth Pond 15a 37 Smooth 40 Palmate 21 Palmate 2 GCN Pond 7 *** Pond 15b 10 Smooth 2 Palmate Pond 8 2 Smooth Pond 16 1 Smooth 2 Palmate Pond 9 * * = No access provided to pond at time of survey ** = No access to pond due to health and safety *** = Pond dry at time of survey