Carnane Site Management Plan

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Ecological Advice & Solutions

Technical Note: Carnane Site Management Plan

Date: 27th June 2022 Author: Sarah Hickey (Ecologist) – MWT Consultancy

• 1.0 Rationale
• 1.1 MWT Consultancy were commissioned by Bluewave Communications Ltd to produce a long-term management plan for their Carnane Transmitter Site, Old Castletown Road, Douglas, Isle of Man. This is in relation to planning application 21/01535/B to install additional telecommunications equipment, create a site access track and erect compound fencing.

• 1.2 Planning condition 6 states that ‘prior to the commencement of development a long-term site / habitat management plan shall be submitted in writing by the Department in accordance with page 15 (3rd and 4th bullets) of the Manx Wildlife Trust’s Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Report (PEAR) dated May 2022, the site / habitat shall thereafter be managed in accordance with the approved plan’.

• 2.0 Management Plan
• 2.1 The PEAR (MWT Consultancy 2022) recommended that the surrounding Wildlife Site be subject to a long-term management plan to mitigate for the loss of part of the Wildlife Site and that consideration should be given to the creation of semi-natural habitat in other land under the control of Bluewave Communications Ltd.
• 2.2 Since the PEAR was completed, plans for the site have changed slightly, with a reduction in the total area to be covered by radomes. Bluewave Telecommunications Ltd have confirmed that they do not own the surrounding land and do not have control of any other land holdings in the vicinity of the site. As a result of this, the long-term management plan will focus on maintaining and improving the retained habitat.
• 2.3 The site is comprised of semi-improved acid grassland, with some Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum), Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) and European Gorse (Ulex Europaeus). In order to maintain and improve the grassland in this area for wildlife, the following management should be undertaken:

• European Gorse should be managed by cutting back to ground levelevery 3-5 years to ensure it does not spread further over the site.

o This should be done outside of the bird nesting season, which extends between 1st March and 31st August for species likely to use this site.

• The grassland should be cut on a rotational basis once a year in earlySeptember. All clippings should be removed.

• o Half should be cut one year then the other half cut the next year, and so on.
• o Grass should be cut in one direction at slow walking speed, and to a height of no less that 10cm, to allow any lizards to move to suitable adjacent habitat.

• Yellow Rattle (Rhinathus minor) seeds should be introduced to thegrassland to reduce the dominance of grasses and promote thedevelopment of an upland meadow.

o Seeds should be sown in September or October, after the area has been cut. Sowing should only be necessary once, as long as it is successful in producing Yellow Rattle plants.

• If possible, the site should be lightly grazed for approximately one to twomonths over the winter. Grazing would be particularly important in cuttinghasn’t been possible that year for some reason.