Worry over harm to important wildlife
All areas: Assessment cites woodland and firecrest ‘destruction’
Campaigners against development on Maidenhead Golf Course have expressed their concern after an environmental assessment said the plans for 2,000 homes on the site could lead to the ‘destruction’ of protected species.
An environmental impact assessment scoping opinion commissioned by CALA Homes added that the site, which is also set to see two schools and a community hub, could lead to the permanent loss of ‘woodland of high ecological value’.
The document has been prepared ahead of the planned development on land which was taken out of the greenbelt with the adoption of the Borough Local Plan on February 8 this year.
During construction, the scoping document reveals potential effects during construction to include ‘damage via machinery incursion, pollution and spillages/runoff on retained habitats on or adjacent to the site including ancient woodland’, as well as disturbance to bats and the ‘destruction of badger setts and/or killing/injury of badgers during site clearance and construction works’.
Moreover, nesting and young birds could also be ‘destroyed’ in site clearance works, including the potential disturbance of Schedule 1 protected bird species such as firecrest.
During the ‘operational phase’, potential effects include the ‘permanent loss of habitats’ for a number of species, as well as damage from recreational pressures such as path erosion and trampling.
Tina Quadrino, chair of the Maidenhead Great Park group, said: “This planning document confirms many of our fears about the environmental destruction planned for this vital area of publicly owned open space in our town. But it also down-plays the ecological value of the land, for example by not acknowledging how much of the land is woodland. Twenty-two hectares of the
55-hectare site is woodland, of which two hectares is ancient woodland. And the council has refused to put Tree Protection Orders on any of the trees.
“As well as damaging our ecological environment, this assessment also makes it clear that the people of Maidenhead will effectively be living in a massive building site for the next 10 to 15 years, with significantly increased construction traffic, and the air, noise and light pollution this brings with it.
“The document also reminds us that our council, as both landowner and planning authority, will to a large extent be marking their own homework when it comes to the planning application for this site.
“As well as being concerned about the permanent loss of woodland of high ecological value, the threats to protected species, increased air pollution, increases in traffic both during the construction phase and operational phase of the development, the loss of open space, we are also very concerned about the loss of water storage, increased pressure on water supplies, increased run-off from the concreting over of greenspace and increased pressure on our already stretched local health services.”