South Hams SAC HRA Guidance

The South Hams Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is situated in Devon. It is on the south coast of England and covers an area of 129.53ha. The site is divided into 5 separate sites. This includes the Berry Head-Sharkham Point area next to the town of Brixham. This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The site holds: 

• the largest population of greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) in the UK 
• an area of European dry heaths 
• the only known area in the UK of semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates 

Use the Devon County Council Environment Viewer to look at information on: 

• the South Hams SAC Greater Horseshoe Bat Roosts 
• sustenance Zones 
• landscape connectivity zones 
• pinch points 
• existing mitigation features  

Useful Information and guides 

The documents below aid in preparing Habitats Regulations Assessment of Plans and projects in Torbay. 

Various Devon local authorities have produced a Devon dark corridors guidance note to help protect bat flight lines. All consultants should use this when dealing with bat flight lines in Devon. You can access this guidance on the Wildlife and Geology planning guidance web page.  

• Greater Horseshoe Bats. Habitats Regulations Assessment Guidance - October 2019. 
• Berry Head recreational impacts - this report supplements and adds to the main Habitats Regulations Assessment for the Torbay Local Plan. 
• Berry Head visitor survey report - this is a report of a visitor survey carried out in July and August 2016.
• Berry Head Visitor Survey (2023) - this report presents the results of a visitor survey at Berry Head conducted in July and August 2023. This is a repeat of the survey completed in 2016.
• Berry Head vegetation and rare plant monitoring, 2023 - this report presents the results of vegetation monitoring carried out in 2023 and provides recommendations for a package of mitigation measures.”