Mitigating bird disturbance
Development has been found to disturb the birdlife of the North Kent Marshes Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar sites (areas of conserved wetland).
To overcome this, The Strategic Access Management and Monitoring Strategy (SAMMS) prepared for the North Kent Environmental Planning Group by Footprint Ecology set out a strategy for resolving the additional disturbances to the area’s wintering and migrating birds.
Find out how new housing developments could impact the bird populations in North Kent in the Footprint Ecology assessment.
Additional dwellings
Additional dwellings, including houses in multiple occupation and student accommodation can cause disturbances and impact protected areas. Other developments such as hotels, guest houses, residential care homes, institutions and camps and caravan sites will be assessed on a case by case basis.
Find out more about the types of developments that cause disturbances in Natural England’s further letter of advice.
Planning applications
If you are planning a development of one or more dwellings within 6km of an SPA or Ramsar site, your planning applications must contain enough information so that the local planning authority can carry out an appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations.
Medway Council will expect a financial contribution of £328.27 per dwelling (this is subject to an indexation and will increase annually).
Find out if you’re within the 6km buffer
More information
For more information read our policy statements:
- Strategic Access Management and Mitigation - Policy Statement including plan of Ramsar and SPA areas
- Bird Disturbance Unilateral Undertaking
- Natural England presentation from Medway's Major Developers Forum 2015.
The North Kent SAMMS Board is a partnership of local authorities and conservation organisations, working together under the brand name Bird Wise to deliver strategic measures to mitigate recreational disturbance.
More information is available on the Bird Wise website.