Wildlife ‘is put at risk’

Landal Rockingham Forest Park, which opened its doors to guests in May 2021 with 56 lodges, is already proposing phase two; a huge expansion of the existing site located in a remote rural location in north Northants.

The planning application was published at the end of April by North Northants Council (NNC). The new development would comprise 80 more lodges, a facilities centre, restaurant, shop, swimming pool, gym, and children’s play space.

At the same time, the 2km long access road running through patches of the ancient Rockingham Forest on to the Kings Cliffe Road is proposed to be widened.

With a total of 136 lodges and accompanying facilities, a new village for tourists would be created in the heart of the countryside. Without any technical details being provided, the application proposes the installation of foul drainage infrastructure running over 2km west across a disused ironstone railway track and third party land into the village of Kings Cliffe.

In 2002 adders were noted on part of the track known as the Kings Cliffe County Wildlife Site Disused Railway (East). These snakes are now endangered. Several other wildlife sites, as well as a SSSi, are located along the proposed foul drainage route. The NNC website indicates an environmental assessment has not been requested.

Nature has long ruled on the remote rural lodge site criss-crossed by several public rights of way which are free from traffic. On-site surveys carried out in 2014 by the Corby-based ecologist for the first phase showed a wealth of biodiversity on land around the lodge development, including curlews. This species has declined by 50% in the last two decades and is now threatened with extinction as a breeding bird in lowland southern England,

with fewer than 500 pairs remaining in the region.

The Curlew Recovery Partnership was therefore set up in March 2021 to spearhead curlew conservation efforts in England and is sponsored by Defra and supported by HRH The Prince of Wales.

Professor Russell Wynn, Manager of the Curlew Recovery Partnership, has alerted the NNC ecology advisor and local Natural England staff to the continued presence of curlews on the site.

He is able to provide advice and resources to ensure the habitat remains suitable for breeding curlews and that any negative impacts of the proposed development are mitigated.

More information on the Curlew Recovery Partnership can be found at www.curlewrecovery.org.

The planning application, which currently has very few comments from statutory consultees or objections, closes on Friday, June 3. Should anyone wish to comment, this can be done via application NE/22/00266/FUL on the NNC website.

Big Lunch – ‘A picnic in the park or lunch with friends will do’

Sandra Beale By email

Actress Jenny Agutter