The Evidence
Evidence Register
This section contains the evidence base behind Wildwood Grove.
The Home and Opportunity pages explain what Wildwood Grove is and why it matters.
The Evidence section provides the supporting record.
It is organised as an evidence register, so the main statements made on this website can be checked against the relevant evidence notes.
The purpose is simple:
Statement made → evidence relied on → source record → return to register
This is the base layer of the website.
Statement Register
1. Wildwood Grove is a suppressed agricultural wetland and spring-fed headwater system
Supported by:
E4 — Physical Landscape Development
Evidence relied on:
Hydrological assessment, geological and soils evidence, historic drainage records, LiDAR/topographic analysis, historic mapping and site observations.
2. Wildwood Grove is a real agricultural holding
Supported by:
Evidence relied on:
Ecological baseline survey, agricultural history records, field pattern evidence, access routes, agricultural buildings, pasture, managed grassland and drainage records.
3. Wildwood Grove is associated with a Secondary A Aquifer
Supported by:
Evidence relied on:
Geological mapping, Groundsure records, geology and soils assessment, hydrological assessment, spring observations and groundwater emergence evidence.
4. Wildwood Grove has documented historic agricultural drainage modification
Supported by:
E4 — Physical Landscape Development
Evidence relied on:
1966 certified drainage scheme, field drains, collector drains, pipe diameters, outfalls, designed flow directions, ditches, LiDAR evidence and site observations.
5. Water leaving Wildwood Grove connects to the wider River Exe catchment
Supported by:
Evidence relied on:
Catchment mapping, Streamcombe Valley evidence, River Brockey sub-catchment evidence, River Exe catchment data and site hydrology observations.
Water pathway:
Wildwood Grove → Streamcombe → River Brockey → River Exe → Exe Estuary
6. Wildwood Grove sits within recognised environmental pressure layers
Supported by:
E11 — Water Environment Pressures
Evidence relied on:
Defra MAGIC mapping, Catchment Sensitive Farming context, Countryside Stewardship Water Quality Priority Area, Drinking Water Safeguard Zone, Water Framework Directive priority catchment, groundwater vulnerability, flood-risk mapping, phosphate, faecal organism, pesticide, habitat network and climate vulnerability layers.
Evidence Notes
Physical Site Evidence
E1 — Ecology
Supports statements about habitats, species suitability and the current ecological baseline.
Includes evidence on modified grassland, hedgerows, tree lines, wet ground, ditches, watercourses, active badger sett, protected and priority species suitability, Habitats of Principal Importance and nearby ecological designations.
E2 — Hydrology
Supports statements about the spring-fed headwater system.
Includes evidence on groundwater-fed springs, wet ground, surface water movement, ditches, tributaries, watercourses, agricultural drainage infrastructure, groundwater emergence, Secondary A Aquifer influence and connection to Streamcombe.
E3 — Geology & Soils
Supports statements about the ground conditions beneath the site.
Includes evidence on Baggy Sandstones Formation, sandstone/siltstone/mudstone bedrock, no mapped superficial deposits, Secondary A Aquifer, high groundwater vulnerability, freely draining loamy soils, localised seasonally wet soils, silty loam sampling and groundwater-fed spring emergence.
Site History
E4 — Physical Landscape Development
Supports statements about how the natural physical system formed.
Includes evidence on bedrock geology, valley formation, groundwater movement, spring emergence, surface water flow, headwater landforms, natural drainage pathways and wet ground features.
Open E4 — Physical Landscape Development
E5 — Agricultural History
Supports statements about the agricultural history of the holding.
Includes evidence on long-established agricultural land use, field pattern, enclosure, pasture, grazing, access routes, agricultural buildings, managed grassland, agricultural drainage and relationship with the wider Streamcombe / Wilway farming landscape.
Open E5 — Agricultural History
E6 — Drainage History
Supports statements about historic drainage modification and suppressed wetland function.
Includes evidence on the historic spring system, historic water movement, 1966 certified drainage scheme, field drains, collector drains, pipe diameters, outfalls, designed flow directions, boundary ditches and present-day connections between drains, ditches and watercourses.
Landscape & Catchment Context
E7 — Streamcombe Valley
Supports statements about Wildwood Grove’s position within the wider headwater valley system.
Includes evidence on Streamcombe Valley setting, valley landform, multiple headwater sources, springs, tributary network, LiDAR/headwater mapping and Wildwood Grove’s position within the valley.
E8 — Exmoor Fringe
Supports statements about Wildwood Grove’s wider landscape setting.
Includes evidence on Dulverton, proximity to Exmoor National Park, location outside the National Park boundary, transitional upland agricultural landscape, narrow valleys, grassland, hedgerows, woodland and spring-fed watercourses.
E9 — River Exe Catchment
Supports statements about downstream catchment connection.
Includes evidence on the pathway from Wildwood Grove to Streamcombe, the River Brockey, the River Exe and the Exe Estuary, together with headwater position, upper River Exe catchment context and downstream receiving environment.
Environmental Pressure Evidence
E10 — Agricultural Pressures
Supports statements about recognised agricultural and water-quality pressure context.
Includes evidence on Catchment Sensitive Farming, Countryside Stewardship Water Quality Priority Area, phosphate, faecal indicator organisms, surface water pesticides, diffuse agricultural pollution context, soil, nutrient, sediment, runoff and drainage-related pressure layers.
Open E10 — Agricultural Pressures
E11 — Water Environment Pressures
Supports statements about water protection, water quality and natural water management relevance.
Includes evidence on Drinking Water Safeguard Zone, Water Framework Directive priority catchment, high groundwater vulnerability, soluble rock risk, spring-source pressure, drainage modification, runoff, nutrients, sediment, pesticide and faecal organism pressure context, flood-risk and flow-management pressure and natural water-retention relevance.
Open E11 — Water Environment Pressures
E12 — Biodiversity Pressures
Supports statements about biodiversity and nature recovery relevance.
Includes evidence on Priority Habitat Network, Restorable Habitat / Network Enhancement Zones, wet-ground habitat, headwater habitat, riparian habitat, habitat connectivity, species movement, aquatic biodiversity and climate vulnerability.
Open E12 — Biodiversity Pressures
E13 — Catchment Pressures
Supports statements about cumulative catchment significance.
Includes evidence on upper-catchment pressure, headwater source pressure, River Exe catchment connection, drinking-water catchment pressure, WFD context, diffuse agricultural pollution context, flood-risk management, natural flood management, woodland water-quality / flood-risk priority and cumulative pressure overlap.
Open E13 — Catchment Pressures
E14 — Climate Pressures
Supports statements about climate resilience relevance.
Includes evidence on climate vulnerability, flood-risk pressure, extreme rainfall, flow response, drought, water security, soil moisture, groundwater recharge, spring flow, baseflow, water temperature, riparian shading, natural flood-management relevance and climate adaptation.
Evidence Register rule
Each evidence note is a self-contained record.
The Evidence section is not designed as a browsing maze.
It is designed as a professional evidence base:
one click in, one click back.
Each evidence note should return to this page