The application fails to provide the necessary ecological information required to assess the impact of the development. No Preliminary Ecological Appraisal, baseline habitat survey, or tree/hedgerow assessment has been submitted, despite the presence of mapped Priority Habitat (Coastal and Floodplain Grazing Marsh) and potential for protected species. As a result, the Council cannot determine the likely effects of the proposal on ecological receptors. Furthermore, the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) submissions are incomplete. The Small Sites Metric has not been undertaken by a competent person in accordance with the Statutory Biodiversity Metric User Guide, and the metric has been incorrectly applied in an area where Priority Habitat is present and the Small Sites Metric cannot be used. In the absence of a valid BNG assessment, the applicant has failed to demonstrate that the development would achieve a measurable net gain for biodiversity. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy D20 of the Sedgemoor Local Plan 2011–2032, the requirements of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, and the ecological and biodiversity provisions of Section 15 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2024).