Planning Policy Frequently Asked Questions

The Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA) consists of thirteen individual Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) spread across the three counties of Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. Chobham Common SSSI near Sunningdale and the Broadmoor to Bagshot Woods and Heaths SSSI to the south of Ascot are the nearest parts of the SPA to the Royal Borough.

On the advice of Natural England, the Council considers that there is a likelihood of significant impact from a net increase of residential development, leading to an increased population, in areas where residents are likely to visit the SPA for recreation. In addition, there are also more localised impacts for example from cat related predation and invasive plant species.

Natural England currently advises that residential developments up to 5km from the boundary of the SPA has a significant cumulative impact and that in general development within 400m cannot be effectively avoided or mitigated. A map showing SPA and the 5km distance can be viewed from the Thames Basin Heaths SPA webpage.