West Adderbury Residents’ Association has responded to calls for action from members concerned at the destruction of wildlife on the Land North of Milton Road. Adderbury Parish Council (APC) have instructed contractors to strip vegetation from the land, despite Cherwell District Council imposing a condition that no such work should be done during the bird nesting season. One WARA member who pointed out to the APC contractor that there are ground nesting birds on the site was told “they’ll soon move once we start work“.
WARA’s letter reads:
Dear Matthew
Community Centre / Football Club
As of now vegetation is being stripped across the whole site right up to the boundaries. This is in contravention of condition no 18 of 18/00220/F which states that if nesting birds are present then these works are not permitted to be carried out within the nesting/breeding season.
The indicative design shows that deep drainage and soakaway pits will have to be constructed immediately adjacent to existing hedges and woodland which is the habitat of many protected animal and bird species.
Carrying out these heavy engineering works in the middle of the bird nesting season contravenes the Wildlife and Countryside Act if ground nesting bird’s habitat is destroyed as part of the clearance works and an offence under the Act.
One of our members asked the contractors why they were ignoring the condition relating to nesting birds. He was told “they’ll soon move once we start work”.
So, once again our council does just what it wants to do.
Our members want to know what you are going to do about it and if you are going to report this breach of the law to the police?
WARA Committee
Some residents have heard skylarks on the field and these ground nesting birds are currently endangered and on the RSPB’s red list. Skylarks breed from early April to August and need two to three broods of young each year to maintain populations. Not really the type of birds we want contractors “to soon move” once work starts.
Residents concerned at the way West Adderbury and its wildlife is being treated can join WARA by emailing westadderbury@yahoo.com. Membership is free.
Residents can also contact the Adderbury Parish Council Clerk, Theresa Goss, by emailing adderburypc@hotmail.com or telephoning 01295 710965.
The Cherwell District Council planning officer dealing with this matter is Matthew Chadwick, email: matthew.chadwick@cherwell-dc.gov.uk