A. R (Buglife) v Medway Council [2019] EWHC 1987 (Admin) Legal principle: A planning authority must correctly identify and assess the ecological status of a habitat. Failure to recognise a protected or priority habitat makes the decision unlawful. Why it applies to chalk streams: If a chalk stream or chalk‑fed ditch exists but the authority: fails to identify it, misclassifies it, or ignores its priority habitat status, then the allocation or permission is legally vulnera