A population of Roman snails is to be protected from an access road development in Westfield Recreation ground in Harpenden after wildlife charity Buglife opposed planning application.
Wednesday 19 February 2013
Roman snails are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and it is an illegal offence to intentionally kill, injure or take a Roman snail.
Buglife objected to the planning application in January 2012 because the St Albans council planned to grant planning permission without any invertebrate surveys being undertaken, despite historical records of a legally protected Roman snail population.
The planning application has today been delayed to allow wildlife surveys to be completed. The developers will be asked to survey the location and size of the Roman snail population.
Alice Farr, Buglife Planning Manager said “This is a great victory for the Roman snails. They’re legally protected. In England they’re restricted in range, and so protecting this population is very significant. Very often invertebrates are overlooked in the planning process. Buglife is pleased that the protection of these Roman snail is being taken seriously”.
