What’s new?
28 April 2008
Local Wildlife Trust hits out at proposed eco-town
Wildlife areas at risk if development goes ahead
Government proposals for a new eco-town in Cambridgeshire will do little or nothing to conserve wildlife says the local Wildlife Trust. Rather than putting ecology at the heart of eco-towns, the proposal could instead damage precious places for wildlife, says the Trust.
The announcement of Hanley Grange on the shortlist for eco-towns could spell disaster for a number of important wildlife areas in the county. Such a large development in this area will inevitably require infrastructure enhancements. For example, should the A11 be widened, this would destroy parts of the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke, both of which are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and require major new infrastructure over the River Cam. The development would also place huge additional pressure on water resources, which would have knock-on effects on important wildlife sites such as Dernford Fen, Sawston Hall Meadows, Thriplow Meadows and Thriplow Peat Holes, all of which are Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
"The Government’s current proposals make a mockery of the term ‘eco-town’. What we need to see is the planning system being used to avoid insensitive development and protect and create new wildlife habitats.” said Martin Baker, conservation manager for The Wildlife Trust in Cambridgeshire. “This is a huge missed opportunity.”
"Eco-towns could and should be a visionary image for the future, where new developments contribute to enhancing the landscape for wildlife and people. But instead the Government has chosen to focus narrowly on the carbon footprint of these new towns, meaning that ecology does not get a look in.”
The Wildlife Trust believes the new towns should be assessed on their total ecological impact not just their carbon footprint. Not only should these developments not destroy areas of existing wildlife value, but they should also include new green spaces, designed around the natural environment, for the benefit of people and wildlife.
The Wildlife Trust is calling for eco-town proposals to only go ahead, if they:
- don’t destroy existing wildlife habitat areas either directly or indirectly through associated infrastructure such as transport links or impacts on water resources
- are planned to include wildlife-rich areas throughout the development, such as ponds as part of sustainable urban drainage schemes (SUDS)*
- include high-quality green infrastructure, such as parks, for wildlife and people.
The Wildlife Trust welcomes the idea of eco-towns but, to be truly sustainable, they need to be about much more than simply building zero-carbon homes. We also need to build in the right places. The current proposals in Cambridgeshire will fragment our countryside at a time when we should be protecting and creating living landscapes in which wildlife can survive.
For further information please contact Martin Baker, conservation manager, on 01954 713 508 or email martin.baker [at] wildlifebcnp.org