Developers, Redrow, who own Harts Farm fields have made a bid to Hertsmere planners in an attempt to avoid an Environmental Impact Assessment of the site.

In a report lodged with the planning department last week, Redrow have attempted to downgrade the site as of little environmental importance in order to make it easier to develop for housing and a school.

Environmental consultants, Stantec, state that there are no scare resources in or around the site that would be impacted by a development of 310 houses and a school.

Nor, despite the fields being a Flood Zone risk 1 site with some areas 2 and 3, the report claims 'measures proposed to mitigate the flood risk on the site, including allowances for climate change and will ensure that flood risk to the site and surrounding area from surface water is not increased.'

In respect of biodiversity, where we know there is a colony of pipistrelle bats, Canada geese and muntjac deer, yet the report declines to mention this.

The impact of construction traffic will follow 'best preactice' and traffic that will be generated by the development will be dealt with by a plan submitted with the planning application.

In concluding the report, Stantec state 'this screening assessment has identified that significant effects on the environment are not considered likely either alone or in combination with other development. The proposals would be of a sufficiently limited scale that effects could be managed in accordance with standard methods and best practice measures. The development is therefore not considered to be EIA development as defined by the EIA Regulations.'

The full report can be downloaded here.

Objections to this should be sent to planning@hertsmere.gov.uk