Environmentalists’ ‘alarm’ over Buck Barn proposals
Scores of prominent environmentalists have expressed ‘alarm’ over plans to build 3,500 new homes at Buck Barn in West Grinstead.
A total of 34 leaders of top environmental organisations and ecologists penned their concerns over the proposed development in a letter to Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick. They say that if the development goes ahead it would undermine the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.
The plan singled out the Knepp Estate at West Grinstead as “a shining example of landscapescale nature restoration – a pioneering ‘rewilding’ project that is inspiring others to act on the government’s ambition to be the first generation in history to leave nature in a better place than we found it.”
The Knepp Estate, which adjoins the proposed housing site, has already expressed concerns that the development would endanger its worldrenowned rewilding project and would cut off ‘wildlife corridors.’
In the letter, the environmentalists say: “Knepp is also under consideration to become a National Nature Reserve and, potentially, the beating heart of one of Natural England’s new Nature Recovery Areas across the wider region.
“It is alarming, therefore, to learn that a site allocated for 3,500 houses on the very border of the Knepp rewilding project will split the potential Nature Recovery Area in two and prevent this connectivity from happening.”
They acknowledge that more homes need to be built in order to meet the housing requirements, but stress that the decision to allocate this site will be irreversible.
The letter continues: “Nature is in crisis. We do not want the planning system to inflict additional damage just at the point when, as a nation, we are mobilising to address the climate and nature emergency.”
The letter is signed by the leaders of a number of major organisations including The Wildlife Trusts, National Trust, British Trust for Ornithology, Fauna and Flora International, the RSPB - and more - along with a number of professors from leading universities.