Thanks for the donations from residents and visitors to Merrow Downs, we have been able to commission specialist technical expertise to strengthen our evidence base and support our campaign.
This includes a bat survey of the woodland that runs right along the edge of the Urnfield site; this woodland has not been properly surveyed by the developer. It also includes an independent lighting report which demonstrates that the impact of the floodlights will be much worse than that suggested by the developer. It is also much worse than the light spill assumed by the Planning Inspector when she approved the proposal.
Whilst planning permission was granted at Appeal on the basis of very low levels of light spill (c. 1 lux, which is something like twilight or a bright full moon) at the woodland edge, we can show that the real light spill will be around 4 to up to 10 times this level, ruining the immediate environment for wildlife, lighting up the dark skies and urbanising this nationally protected landscape.
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