Springwatch granted permission for Arne filming base
- Published
Winterwatch - with Iolo Williams, Michaela Strachan, Gillian Burke and Chris Packham - was broadcast from RSPB Arne last year
Makers of BBC's Springwatch programme have been given planning consent for a filming base at Arne, in Dorset, for their Springwatch series.
Three portacabins will be used at Arne Farm near Wareham. Staff and presenters had previously used marquees.
The 20ft by 8ft (6m by 2.5m) portacabins will be used for storage, office space and crew shelter.
They will remain in use until mid-June, when filming will be completed and the structures will be removed.
RSPB Arne hosted Springwatch in 2023
Adjacent farm buildings are home to a pair of breeding barn owls and a pair of breeding kestrels, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
A report to Dorset Council said the birds were unlikely to be impacted by the cabins as they were used to human activity from the farm, RSPB staff and visitors to the reserve.
The BBC Natural History unit also broadcast its recent Winterwatch series from RSPB Arne as well as Springwatch in 2023.
The 635-hectare (1,570-acre) site, which includes mixed heathland, woodland, wetland and pasture, attracts about 75,000 visitors a year.
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- Published15 January
- Published12 January 2023
