Natural gem ‘will be lost’ if houses are built

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is urging people to join them in objecting to proposals for housing close to Askham Bog, near York.

The trust’s first nature reserve, originally saved from development in 1946 by Francis Terry and Arnold Rowntree, is a “remarkable survivor” of the ancient fenlands of Yorkshire, and home to nationally rare wildlife like gingerbread sedge and the fen square-spot moth.

If the land south of Moor Lane does end up for housing in the local plan, as proposed by a consortium of landowners, just a field will be left between it and the reserve, the trust said.

Chief executive Dr Ron Stoneman said the site equalled in nature conservation terms “city treasures” like York Minster.

He said: “If you put housing next to a site as important as Askham Bog you will be destroying a very rare wildlife site. It doesn’t make sense to society.

“Housing comes and goes, but once these semi-natural sites are gone they are gone forever.”

The trust says the site should not be allocated because the impact on the hydrology - which is all important for peat bogs - is unknown and it will be too near houses - and cats, dogs, rats and people.

The trust is also calling on members and residents to write to York City Council’s planning department about a development close to the Tilmire, near Heslington, a fen meadow which supports breeding species like lapwing and skylark.

Dr Stoneman said the proposals had been modified, but they still didn’t believe it was the right place for houses.

He said: “Building thousands of houses next to the Tilmire could cause considerable damage to this important wildlife site. Ground-nesting birds will simply not survive if thousands of people plus their cats and dogs move in next door.”

The council is currently consulting on sites to be included in the draft plan. A final round of consultation will take place later this year. The plans will be submitted to the Government later this year.