Most of the proposed reservoir development area comprises improved grassland used for grazing. There are no statutory international or national biodiversity designations within the boundary of the site, but the site does have several non-statutory designations. There are two areas of woodland designated as semi-natural ancient woodland within the site, which will be removed as part of the proposal:

• The Avenue is a narrow strip (850m x 80m) of replanted mainly oak woodland in the centre of the site, which extends north from the main Staunton Country Park woodland to the south.
• Middle Clearing is a narrow strip (75m x 327m) of young oak plantation some 300 metres west of The Avenue.

A second small young oak plantation (190m x 150m) is located 200 metres to the south of Middle Clearing. This area is designated as ancient replanted woodland and will also be removed as part of the proposal.

There are a number of other designations covering parts of the site (see map below):

• The Avenue and the land to the west of it are designated as part of the Sir George Staunton Conservation Area and lie within the Country Park;
• The Avenue is within the boundaries of a Registered Park and Garden (England);
• The Avenue, Middle Clearing and the woodland to the south are all classified as Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) - as is much of the Country Park to the south.

EIA Scoping Report This explains how potential environmental impacts will be assessed before the planning application is submitted.