My legacy
Aidan is passionate about this wetland oasis which he helped safeguard from development in the 80s. It’s his childhood playground, where he spent many happy days of discovery. Now, he loves…
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Chwilio
Japanese knotweed
Introduced from Japan in the 19th century, Japanese knotweed is now an invasive non-native plant of many riverbanks, waste grounds and roadside verges, where it prevents native species from…
LDP Process
The Local Development Plan process has several stages. The entire process usually takes several years. There are opportunities for input and comment at every stage. You can find out what stage your local planning authority is at on their website. Some planning authorities will add you to their email list to you up to date on their progress.
Giant puffball
This football-sized fungus can be seen in autumn, sometimes growing on grass verges.
Yellow-rattle
Brush through a wildflower meadow at the height of summer and you'll hear the tiny seeds of yellow-rattle rattling in their brown pods, hence its name.
Common lime
The common lime is a tall, broadleaf tree that is a natural hybrid between the Large-leaved and Small-leaved Limes. It can be seen in a variety of habitats, and has been widely planted along roads…
Tormentil
Tormentil can be found growing on acid grassland, heathland and moorland, but even pops up alongside roads. It bears yellow, buttercup-like flowers, but with only four petals (buttercups have five…
Candidate Sites Process
An important part of the Local Development Plan process is the submission and assessment of Candidate Sites. Early in the process, the Local Planning Authority will invite landowners, developers and the public to suggest sites for development or protection, to be included within the new Local Development Plan. You can suggest sites that should be protected, such as new nature reserves, at this stage.
Willow warbler
A summer visitor, the willow warbler can be seen in woodland, parks and gardens across the UK. It arrives here in April and leaves for southern Africa in September.
Cold-water coral
Did you know that there are coral reefs in the UK? UK seas are home to some amazing cold-water corals that form reefs on the seabed over 400m deep.
Porcelain crab
Look out for this tiny crab under rocks and boulders on rocky shores - you'll have to look closely though, they're pretty well camouflaged!
My favourite show
Ben keeps a diary of all the wildlife that he spots. He challenges himself to see new species: if he finds something that he doesn’t recognise, he takes a photograph so that he can look it up.