PPS 2 Natural Heritage·Page 19·5.3
Legal Status and Material Consideration
Harming statutorily protected species is a criminal offence, and the presence of protected species is a material consideration in planning decisions.
It is a criminal offence to harm a statutorily protected species. The presence of species protected by legislation is a material consideration when a planning authority is considering a development proposal that if carried out, would be likely to result in harm to the species or its habitats.
Source — /Users/richardhill/Documents/planning-arch-project/data/documents/regional/PPS 2 - Natural Heritage.pdf