Housing threat to borough’s precious wildlife sites

Woodlands that need to be preserved

THE 500-strong Warrington Nature Conservation Forum has raised concerns about the threat to wildlife posed by the proposals for 24,000 new homes in the borough.
They want to see a stronger vision of how Warrington Borough Council intends to promote a sustainable natural environment.
The borough has 69 wildlife sites, the importance of which is shown by the patronage of such figures as Chris Packham and Professor David Bellamy.
The Forum says policies such as biodiversity, geodiversity and environmental and amenity protection in the borough’s Local Plan Core Strategy need to be more robust, considering the scale of the changes proposed.
Forum chairman Geoff Settle said: “This is an opportunity for the council to incorporate a vision that will enhance and improve Warrington’s natural environment and make it a healthier place to live and work in. I have submitted two consultation papers outlining our views.”
Mr Settle – a former Mayor of Warrington – said it became clear last year that environmental protection was “under the cosh”.
Austerity was blamed for the loss of the council’s natural environmental officer post, the removal of the forum from the council web site, reduced funding for wildlife partners.
Planning application with wildlife content were transferred to the Greater Manchester Environment Unit in Tameside.
The natural environment was under threat from developers, from vandals and speculative “rogue developers” who cut down trees and destroyed habitats that had taken centuries to evolve so they could submit their applications.
Ornithologist Brian Martin, a founder member of the Forum, said he would like to see the inclusion of wildlife maps as overlays showing how the proposed Local Plan fitted in with the existing 69 wildlife sites, the Mersey Forest Green Infrastructure plan and the Environmental Agency’s Upper Mersey Flood plain.
“Without these laid on top of the Local Plan it is very hard to make sense of many parts of the plans,” he said.
The Forum argue that the Local Plan should be an opportunity to protect and develop wildlife networks, rather than to create roads and estates that fragment wildlife routes and encourage the greater use of cars adding to Warrington’s “shameful pollution statistics.”
Ecologist Rob Smith – also a member of Risley Moss Action Group –  said Warrington’s wildlife sites were home many birds of conservation concern, which was one reason why they had been designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest or Local Wildlife Sites.
Woolston Eyes, Risley Moss and Moore Nature Reserve were of particular importance.
Moore Nature Reserve was at the greatest risk from the Local Plan and the
proposed development of the Port of Warrington and the Waterfront.
There were at least six species of bird found there which were on the “Red List” of birds of the highest conservation value, including the lesser spotted woodpecker and song thrush and at least nine species on the Amber list including the seldom seen but often heard bittern.
Forum members would like to see the borough council and developers commit to the development of new wildlife sites, innovative policies and agreements.
The Forum says there are examples of small things being done that make a big difference to wildlife. A housing developer who enhanced a wildlife pond, another who incorporated special bricks to enable swifts to nest in the eaves of new houses, policies to halt hedge cutting during the bird nesting season and protection for rare and sensitive Wild Bee Orchid sites at Stockton Heath.
If the borough council encouraged developers to do more things like this, Warrington would be a better place to live in.