Tufa Field SNCI – Update September 2026
 Slow Worms, Slippage and Subsidence 

Following initial repair work to the reptile fence and exfiltration testing, work has now begun in earnest to clear the field.

Grasses and wildflower plants have been cut with brushcutters removing the cover for voles, fieldmice and reptiles as well as amphibians making their way across the field.

Cutting had been restricted to a few inches above ground, which is necessary since there are still plenty of Slow Worms in the litter. But a machine mower has now been used, so casualties are inevitable.

Subsidence

We have been monitoring an area of land slippage for a number of years. This particular year of 2026 has been exceptionally wet until March, then exceptionally dry until September. This has probably led to the substantial increase seen in a land slip at the Eastern end (what3words ///narrow.blank.outer) , the cumulative movement is of the order of 2 feet, doubling that observed in previous years. Similar movements have been observed at the southern boundary edge.

The development will require a reinforcement retaining wall to prevent impact on buildings. It also points up the difficulty of building here, where strip foundations will likely be inadequate, causing later building cracking.

Residents Presentation 17/09/26

Very little new information was available at a poster presentation by Stepnell and BANES. There is still no Construction Management Plan or Business Case, so likely costs are still unconfirmed, but the consensus seems to be about £1.2M per place, ie a cost of £19.2M still to spend.

Timescales are still planned as 83 week to delivery from start, notionally February 2027.

Ecology notes: The appointed ecologists, Bengrove Ecology, a two-person enterprise based in Chilcompton, reported that they have moved about 50 Slow Worms across the reptile fence and will continue to monitor.

Some of the Himalayan Balsam within the narrow fenced area has been cut and stored on site to prevent further spread. No plan yet exists for management outside the immediate construction area.

In spite of the work, night time activity remains pretty much as normal. This was recorded over the 16th to 19th September.