{"id":839,"date":"2026-09-17T13:28:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T12:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/?p=839"},"modified":"2026-09-17T13:28:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T12:28:26","slug":"shadow-habitats-regulation-assessment-for-residential-development-in-wedmore-somerset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/09\/17\/shadow-habitats-regulation-assessment-for-residential-development-in-wedmore-somerset\/","title":{"rendered":"Shadow Habitats Regulation Assessment for Residential Development in Wedmore, Somerset"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shadow Habitats Regulation Assessment for Residential Development in Wedmore, Somerset<\/h1>\n

Southwest Environmental Limited was commissioned by a planning consultancy to undertake a Shadow Habitats Regulation Assessment (SHRA) for a proposed development in Wedmore, Somerset. The project site is located within the planning jurisdiction of Somerset West and Taunton Council. The development involves the conversion of an existing residential dwelling into two separate residential properties. This comprehensive assessment was completed with a short lead time to ensure the applicant could proceed with their planning submission without delay.<\/p>\n

\"High-angle

Overview of Lower Burrow and floodwaters on West Moor in the Somerset Levels.<\/p><\/div>\n

Regulatory Context and Site Designations<\/h2>\n

The SHRA was prepared in strict compliance with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended)<\/a>. The assessment is necessary under Regulation 63 to determine the potential effects of nutrient changes caused by the project on the River Axe and the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar site. The Ramsar site supports vulnerable ecological communities, including 17 species of Red Data Book aquatic invertebrates and rare vascular plants, making it highly sensitive to eutrophication and water chemistry changes<\/p>\n

Nutrient Loading Assessment<\/h2>\n

Stage 1 Screening identified a potential impact pathway during the operational phase of the development Foul water from the proposed residential use would be discharged to public sewers, subsequently discharging via the Wedmore Water Recycling Centre (WRC) to tributaries of the River Axe.<\/p>\n

In Stage 2 Appropriate Assessment, the Somerset Levels and Moors Phosphorous Budget Calculator was utilized to quantify the expected nutrient output. The calculation determined that, without mitigation, the development would result in a phosphorus loading of 0.22kg TP\/yr (Post 2025), a figure that includes a 20% precautionary buffer. Any unmitigated increase in phosphorus could adversely affect the conservation objectives of the Ramsar site.<\/p>\n

Mitigation and Nutrient Neutrality<\/h2>\n

To eliminate adverse effects on site integrity, mitigation measures were formally integrated into the project plan. The calculated budget of 0.22kg TP\/year will be entirely offset through the purchase of Phosphorus Credits. The reservation of these credits will be secured as a pre-commencement condition, managed and monitored by Somerset County Council.<\/p>\n

With this mitigation applied, the additional nutrient load from the development is reduced to zero, rendering the project entirely phosphorus neutral. The assessment concludes that the project will not adversely affect the integrity of the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar Site or the River Axe.<\/p>\n

For more information on our environmental assessment capabilities and nutrient neutrality calculations, please visit our Habitats Regulations Assessment services page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please contact us if you would like a fixed price quotation.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shadow Habitats Regulation Assessment for Residential Development in Wedmore, Somerset Southwest Environmental Limited was commissioned by a planning consultancy to undertake a Shadow Habitats Regulation Assessment (SHRA) for a proposed development in Wedmore, Somerset. The project site is located within the planning jurisdiction of Somerset West and Taunton Council. The development involves the conversion of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[117,120],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bristol-locations","category-habitat-regulation-assessment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":840,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839\/revisions\/840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}