The New Country Park and Cemetery project in Flitwick involved a comprehensive ecological appraisal and eDNA testing for great crested newts, alongside recommendations for biodiversity net gain and compliance with national and local planning policies. Specifically, Syntegra's ecological services team oversaw a successful planning application, utilizing environmental DNA (eDNA) as an approved method for detecting great crested newt presence/absence, especially when traditional survey methods were not feasible due to seasonal constraints. The eDNA testing confirmed the likely absence of GCN, streamlining the planning process. Furthermore, the project included recommendations for protecting adjacent priority habitats, ensuring dark corridors, and proposing landscaping with native species. Recommendations were also made to minimize biodiversity impacts and provide net gains in accordance with Section 15 of the NPPF and Central Bedfordshire Local Plan Policies EE2 and EE3. The site enhancements include nesting boxes, bat boxes, ditch/watercourse enhancement, log piles, native tree planting, wildflower meadows, and additional ponds to create foraging grounds for local wildlife.
