RSPB and Dorset Wildlife Trust object to Nuffield Hospital plans

Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) and the RSPB have both submitted objections to BCP Council over Nuffield Health’s plans to build a new private hospital in Talbot Village on land between the town’s universities and Talbot Heath.

Nuffield Health and Talbot Village Trust said it is “crucial” the environment is protected as part of its plans.

The RSPB objected to the plans, saying they have “serious concerns about various elements” of the proposed allocation of the HSA at Highmoor Farm.

The land at Highmoor Farm in Talbot Village (Image: Google Maps)

The charity said it would like to see the inclusion habitat to protect a native bird there, the nightjar, including the creation of six-metre margins of broadleaved and gorse scrub along the boundaries of the heath as well as wildflowers and no lighting. 

“There is strong evidence that lighting adjacent to heathlands can adversely impact moth populations and therefore reduce foraging opportunities for nightjars,” it added.  

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DWT also said they object to the application on the grounds of “insufficient information being provided to assess the impacts of the development upon designated sites and biodiversity”. 

It added the Heathland Support Area (HSA), which Nuffield Health plans to develop on Highmoor Farm, “does not provide sufficient confidence that it will adequately deliver the functions that are proposed”. 

CGI of the hospital (Image: Townshends/Kendall Kingscott/Nuffield Health)

On behalf of the applicants Nuffield Health and Talbot Village Trust, chairman Nick Shaftesbury said: “It is crucial to all parties involved that the protection of the environment remains at the highest level of priority, and that all efforts are made to increase the biodiversity value of the land at Highmoor Farm through multiple initiatives across the Innovation Quarter and through the creation of the HSA.  

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“To this end, we are facilitating discussions between our expert consultants and the relevant consultees and we will be making contact with the RSPB, Dorset Wildlife Trust, and the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC) to initiate conversations around the points made. 

“As an outcome of these discussions, we anticipate that additional environmental and ecological recommendations may be included in the HSA management plan to be discussed at the Planning Committee.  

“We are working collaboratively with the planning case officer to provide all necessary information to ensure that the committee can make a well-informed and fair decision in due course.”