Lincolnshire Lakes

Lincolnshire Lakes is a major mixed-use development comprising two new village communities of more than 3000 homes with associated public amenities, and services as a part of a wider ca. 2000 ha Area Action Plan. The project will provide substantial areas (ca. 120 ha) of multifunctional green infrastructure, ca. 70 ha of which is designed primarily for biodiversity.

Biodiversity by Design acted as ecological advisors from project inception and through planning.

Our initial approach was to develop a Biodiversity Strategy encompassing the whole of the wider 2000 ha site to assist and inform North Lincolnshire District Councils development of the Lincolnshire Lakes Area Action Plan. This Strategy was based on a full suite of ecological surveys encompassing habitats, plants, terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, wintering and breeding birds, water voles, and bats. Drawing on the baseline ecological surveys, we produced a detailed Biodiversity Strategy for the 250 ha Lucent-owned site, setting out key habitat creation measures including the transformation of large areas of the Site into a biodiverse mosaic of wetlands, species rich grasslands, woodlands with a network of ditches and hedges.
Our eco-masterplanning input included setting out the green infrastructure framework to draw wildlife from the larger peripheral biodiverse open spaces into the heart of the development through the creation of strong wildlife corridors, green links, and ‘stepping-stone’ green infrastructure.
We produced the ecology chapter for the Environmental Statement.
Early identification of potential biodiversity impacts and close integration with the design team allowed an iterative approach to impact assessment to avoid and minimise potential adverse impacts and maximise opportunities for biodiversity gain.
We also undertook a Habitats Regulations Assessment screening assessment in relation to potential impacts to the nearby Humber Estuary European Marine Site (SPA/SAC/Ramsar).

Our biodiversity strategy set out a framework for the masterplan layout to reflect regionally relevant habitat types arranged so as to maximise the potential for biodiversity gains through development.