Background and context
South East Devon is a coastal and lowland landscape that encompasses estuaries, dunes, heathlands, farmland, and woodland mosaics, which together support a rich diversity of species, including birds, reptiles, invertebrates, and plant communities. The region’s coastal and estuarine environments, such as intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes along the Exe and Teign estuaries to dune systems at Dawlish Warren, are particularly sensitive to disturbance, erosion, and changes in hydrology, while the inland heathlands and woodland edges provide refuges for species adapted to lowland, semi-natural habitats. This landscape exists in close proximity to growing urban and suburban areas, including Exeter and surrounding towns, making it highly accessible for recreation (South East Devon Wildlife, n.d.).
The Exe Estuary supports internationally important populations of wintering and migratory waterbirds using intertidal mudflats, saltmarshes and wetland habitats; Dawlish Warren comprises important dune, grassland and wetland mosaics supporting rare plant and habitat types; and the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths represent one of the largest blocks of lowland heathland in Devon with nationally rare species such as southern damselfly, nightjar and Dartford warbler.
The Exe Estuary is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar due to its ecological importance for internationally significant bird species. The East Devon Pebblebed Heaths is designated as both a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and SPA due to the heathland habitats and species of invertebrate and birds the heathland supports and Dawlish Warren is designated as a SAC and a Ramsar due to its internationally significant sand dune habitats.
Ecological driver and scheme details
The South East Devon Wildlife – Joint Habitats Sites Mitigation Strategy 2025-2030 (Liley, 2024) sets out the recreational mitigation requirements associated with new housing and tourism development on three internationally designated conservation sites in South East Devon. These sites are of high conservation importance and lie close to urban development, making them particularly sensitive to increased use by people. The strategy replaces and updates an earlier mitigation strategy from 2014 to ensure the level of mitigation remains appropriate for the scale of growth anticipated over 2025-2030, which is projected at around 2,000 new dwellings per year within 10 km of the sites.
The core purpose of the strategy is to provide a plan-led, cross-authority framework that enables new development to be permitted while ensuring that the cumulative impacts of recreation on the designated sites can be avoided or adequately mitigated. The strategy provides clarity for developers on obligations and costs linked to new housing. It sets out a package of mitigation measures structured around two broad components:
- Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM), and
- Off-site infrastructure including Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANGs) and local projects.
SAMM comprises actions such as the deployment of wildlife wardens, visitor engagement and education, visitor surveys and monitoring to understand patterns of site use, and measures to influence visitor behaviour in order to reduce disturbance to sensitive wildlife. Off-site infrastructure seeks to provide alternative recreational spaces that can attract visitors away from the most sensitive parts of the European sites, thereby reducing pressure on those habitats.
The strategy targets recreational pressures arising from population growth and new development within a Zone of Influence (ZoI) of the Exe Estuary, East Devon Pebblebed Heaths, and Dawlish Warren. Between 2025-2030, 2000 new dwellings per annum are expected within 10km of the SE Devon European sites. Human activities such as walking, dog walking, cycling, and watersports can disturb feeding, roosting, and breeding birds, as well as reptiles and other sensitive species, potentially causing displacement, reduced breeding success, and avoidance of key habitats. High footfall and concentrated use of paths, entrances, and car parks can damage fragile habitats, compact soil, erode vegetation, and degrade heathland, dune systems, mudflats, and saltmarshes. Uncontrolled dogs present additional pressures through chasing wildlife and contributing to fouling that affects soil and water quality. Visitors may also enter sensitive zones, such as breeding or roosting areas, inadvertently increasing disturbance. These pressures are compounded by the cumulative effects of new housing and increased local population, which intensify recreational use of the protected sites.
The strategy focuses on the cumulative recreational effects of housing growth. The Exe Estuary, East Devon Pebblebed Heaths, and Dawlish Warren lie close to urban and suburban areas, and the surrounding region is experiencing significant residential growth. New housing development within the 10 km ZoI will generate additional recreational use of sensitive habitats, with most development within the ZoI occurring within East Devon, Exeter, and Teignbridge. While a limited number of visitors may travel from developments beyond these authorities, such developments are not considered to generate impacts requiring mitigation under the strategy. Population growth within the ZoI is therefore expected to increase the frequency of visits to the estuary, heaths, and dunes.
The strategy is explicitly a strategic, cross-boundary solution. It was developed jointly by East Devon District Council, Exeter City Council, and Teignbridge District Council to provide a coordinated framework for mitigating recreational impacts from housing and population growth across all three jurisdictions. The strategy recognises that the European sites are interconnected in terms of ecological function and visitor pressure, and that individual development proposals cannot adequately address cumulative effects in isolation. It applies mitigation consistently across administrative boundaries to protect sensitive habitats while enabling sustainable development.
The strategy defines a 10km ZoI around the Exe Estuary, East Devon Pebblebed Heaths, and Dawlish Warren designated sites, encompassing areas where new development is considered likely to generate additional recreational pressure on sensitive habitats. Within this zone, increased population from new housing and tourism is expected to lead to higher visitor numbers, more frequent use of paths, car parks, and access points, and greater potential for disturbance to wildlife. The 10km distance is based on research showing that most recreational visits originate within this range meaning that developments beyond the ZoI are unlikely to have significant effects. Beyond this distance, visitor levels reach a relatively low plateau rather than continuing to decline, meaning that extending the ZoI further would not substantially change the level of recreational disturbance and therefore supports the use of a 10km boundary.
The strategy applies primarily to new housing and certain forms of visitor accommodation that may generate additional recreational visits to the protected sites.. This includes houses and flats, affordable housing, tied accommodation, student housing (with the exception of purpose-built accommodation in Exeter), housing for the ‘mobile’ elderly, hotels, B&Bs and static caravans. Care homes are excluded.
Governance, structure and working arrangements
The South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive Committee is a partnership of Exeter City, East Devon and Teignbridge District Councils. The Committee is legally required to make decisions and recommendations across the three authority areas to protect three internationally important conservation sites. Early involvement from Natural England was critical for the original strategy, and ongoing oversight ensures strategic consistency.
The strategy is designed as a long-term, rolling framework to ensure that mitigation keeps pace with ongoing development and changing recreational pressures. While the formal plan period is five years (2025–2030), the strategy sets out mechanisms for perpetual protection of the European sites by requiring that mitigation measures are maintained over the lifetime of the developments they serve. This includes ongoing operation of wildlife wardens, management of refuge zones, monitoring programmes, and maintenance of alternative recreational spaces (SANGs).
The strategy also takes a staged approach, meaning that mitigation is implemented progressively as development occurs. Contributions from developers are collected at the point of planning permission or housing completion, allowing funding for mitigation to scale with actual development. This ensures that resources are available when pressures materialise, that interventions are delivered in proportion to the scale and location of growth, and that monitoring data can inform adjustments in subsequent phases.
Funding mechanisms
The total projected SAMM cost across the sites is approximately £25.5 million over the strategy period. Indicative per-dwelling contribution levels across the partnership area fall broadly within the range of approximately £821 to £977 depending on which designated sites are affected and the relevant charging mechanisms used by each authority. For SANGs, developers either provide on-site mitigation for larger schemes or contribute to strategic council-led SANGs, guided by a benchmark of approximately 8 ha per 1,000 population (around 0.019 ha per dwelling, depending on occupancy assumptions). Contributions are pooled to create alternative recreational areas that reduce pressure on sensitive habitats. Rates are indexed annually, and tourist accommodation is charged proportionally based on occupancy. These developer contributions form the core funding mechanism enabling long-term, cross-boundary delivery of mitigation measures.
A combination of CIL and Section 106 agreements are used to secure funding by the three LPAs, which is then pooled for the collective funding of on-site measures.
Payments are typically secured through the normal planning obligation process or specific legal agreements linked to planning applications. Where a proposed residential or tourist accommodation development falls within approximately 10km of the European sites, applicants must demonstrate that mitigation contributions will be provided as part of the planning application and before planning permission is granted to ensure that the mitigation funds are tied legally to the development and are payable before construction begins.
Once secured, contributions are collected and held by the local authority (or pooled across the partner authorities) and then used to fund delivery of the strategy’s measures, both on-site management such as wardens and monitoring, and off-site infrastructure like alternative greenspaces.
Communication and engagement
The purpose of the communication strategy is to influence visitor behaviour, raise awareness of sensitive habitats, and promote the use of alternative recreational spaces. This approach operates through multiple channels. On-site measures include wildlife wardens who engage directly with visitors, providing information about codes of conduct, the location of refuge areas, and the ecological importance of the sites. Signage and interpretation boards at key access points, car parks, and paths reinforce these messages, highlighting sensitive areas and suggesting lowimpact recreational practices. Off-site communication encourages use of alternative greenspaces (SANGs), directing visitors to appropriate areas for walking, dogwalking, and cycling.
The strategy targets three main audiences: local residents, new residents from housing developments within the 10km zone, and visitors or tourists. Residents are encouraged to adopt responsible behaviours consistently, while developers and planners are provided guidance on the communication obligations linked to their projects. Tourists and occasional visitors receive information primarily through signage, engagement campaigns, and digital materials. The strategy also incorporates ongoing monitoring, including visitor surveys and feedback, to evaluate the effectiveness of communication efforts and adapt messages where necessary.
Monitoring
Monitoring methods at the South East Devon Wildlife Sites include:
- Ecological species monitoring: Site management teams undertake annual monitoring of qualifying species across the three protected sites, with results reported each autumn to mitigation officers. At the Pebblebed Heaths, for example, monitoring shows nightjar territories broadly stable, while Dartford warbler numbers fluctuate and southern damselfly populations have declined (South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive Committee, 2022a).
- Visitor monitoring: A dedicated South East Devon Visitor Survey (2020–21) (Caals et al 2022) was undertaken as part of the mitigation programme, building on earlier baseline visitor surveys to track changes in behaviour and access patterns. Monitoring of visitor activities, motivations and awareness are scheduled every 5 years and cover all the protected sites.
- Site-specific mitigation monitoring: Wildlife refuges on the Exe Estuary have been monitored through a structured programme using vantage-point counts to assess disturbance and bird responses (Saunders and Liley, 2021).
Monitoring of habitat management interventions also occurs, such as tracking outcomes of fencing, screening, and restoration works.
- Communications and behaviour-change: The partnership tracks key performance indicators for communications campaigns, including website use, newsletter subscriptions, and social-media engagement. Habitat Mitigation Team updates are prepared to summarise the events and initiatives undertaken by month, with the latest delivered to the Executive Committee in
October 2025 (South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive Committee, 2025).
- Programme-delivery monitoring: Annual business plans record the status of mitigation measures and whether projects are completed, ongoing, delayed, or revised (South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive Committee, 2025).
More information on monitoring at each site can be found at South East Devon Wildlife’s Monitoring Dashboard.
Highlight information on monitoring:
- The Pebblebed Heaths annual monitoring report 2022(South East Devon Habitats Regulations Partnership, 2022b) shows that Nightjar populations remain broadly stable across heaths, Dartford Warbler population reflects significant fluctuation (sharp population decline in 2018 can be directly attributed to severe winter/spring weather), Southern Damselfly population has declined (likely due to hydrological and ecological site changes that are not related to recreational pressure).
- The Dawlish Warren NNR trampling & nutrient enrichment assessment 2023
(South East Devon Habitats Regulations Partnership, 2023) and Petalwort Monitoring 2023 (Pilkington, 2023) indicates pattern of trampling and erosion risk throughout the site remains complex, majority of hotspots are centred around access points to the reserve, path nodes and corridors between the amenity beach and the interior of the site.
- The Exe Estuary Wildlife Refuge Monitoring programme (Saunders and Liley,
2021) indicates an annual increase in wildfowl at Exmouth refuge over three
years, high numbers of birds present in and around both refuges. Fewer birds recorded after higher levels of human activity and peak levels of human activity recorded during summer and autumn, but year on year decrease in recreational activities in refuges.
The Mitigation Strategy identifies several multifunctional benefits arising from the mitigation measures, particularly the creation and management of off-site greenspaces (SANGs) and enhancements to on-site infrastructure. These benefits extend beyond simply reducing recreational pressure on protected habitats.
Alternative greenspaces provide opportunities for general public recreation, including walking, cycling, and dog-walking, in a way that draws pressure away from sensitive ecological areas. At the same time, these areas contribute to public health and wellbeing by providing accessible outdoor space for exercise and relaxation. The design and management of these spaces often incorporate habitat creation and biodiversity enhancements, so they can support wildlife, native plants, and ecological connectivity, linking with broader landscape-scale conservation objectives.
On-site measures, such as improved signage, interpretation boards, and educational engagement by wardens, also deliver informal learning and environmental awareness benefits, helping communities understand local ecology and the importance of protecting internationally designated sites. In some cases, habitat management projects, such as dune or heathland restoration, serve multiple functions by reducing erosion, improving flood resilience, and enhancing aesthetic and recreational value.
Good Practice Highlights
The strategy takes a strategic, cross-boundary approach to governance, with East
Devon District Council, Exeter City Council, and Teignbridge District Council coordinated through the South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive Committee. This ensures that mitigation measures, monitoring, and funding are applied consistently across all areas, allowing cumulative impacts from multiple developments to be addressed at a landscape scale rather than piecemeal. Early involvement from Natural England was critical in establishing the evidence base and supporting implementation of the original strategy. Over time, the partnership has evolved, with local authorities taking greater ownership while Natural England provides strategic oversight.
While developer contributions provide a clear mechanism for funding, retaining contributions within individual authority areas has been found to create challenges for strategic budgeting and coordination. A pooled funding model as other strategies implement could enhance flexibility and support more efficient delivery at the appropriate spatial scale.
A key strength of the strategy is its evidence-based approach. The 10 km ZoI, derived from detailed visitor surveys, defines the area within which developments are likely to generate recreational pressure. This provides a clear and defensible trigger for mitigation contributions, ensuring resources are targeted where they are most needed.
The strategy is supported by comprehensive monitoring and adaptive management, combining ecological surveys, visitor studies, disturbance assessments, and evaluation of mitigation interventions. Monitoring informs ongoing management, allowing adaptation to changing conditions such as population growth, shifts in recreational patterns, or external events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-term delivery is secured through developer contributions tied to development within the ZoI, ensuring interventions are proportionate to pressures and maintained over time. Monitoring has directly shaped interventions, for example, petalwort declines have guided translocation efforts, and wildlife refuge data have validated their disturbancereducing role. In contrast, monitoring of eutrophication and trampling shows that these pressures are diffuse, reinforcing the need for broad behavioural-change approaches rather than spatial targeting. This demonstrates the importance of a flexible, evidence-led approach where mitigation evolves in response to observed outcomes.
On-site wardens play a central role, providing real-time guidance, reinforcing signage and interpretation messages, and helping to manage sensitive areas. Targeted measures, such as SANGs, effectively attract high-impact user groups, particularly dog walkers, reducing visits to sensitive sites. Multi-channel communications, including websites, social media, and initiatives like ‘Devon Loves Dogs’, further raise awareness and encourage responsible behaviour. The introduction of wildlife refuges highlighted the importance of clear communication and engagement; some initial resistance was noted, which may have been avoided with some clearer communication. Overall, positive engagement and education are more effective than enforcement-led approaches, emphasizing a proactive, socially informed strategy for managing recreational impacts.
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