Feathers fly over birds of prey plan for stately home park

THEY stand as a gnarled testament to the great woods that once covered much of the countryside before the 16th century.

The ancient trees of Duncombe Park are considered the oldest in the north of England and provide the country estate near Helmsley on the North York Moors with its unique character.

Yet in recent months, they have become the subject of a very modern feud between planning officers and conservationists who hope to build the second branch of the International Centre for Birds of Prey (ICBP) at Duncombe Park.

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Ecologists and officers on the North York Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA) have expressed concern that the new centre, which is expected to attract up to 40,000 visitors a year, could have an impact on the Grade I listed estate, which dates back more than 300 years and is listed as a special site of scientific interest and historic parkland.

But after months of delay, the application for the development at the estate’s Parkland Centre is finally set to be approved by the NYMNPA’s planning committee this week.

It is hoped that the proposed scheme will put an end to North Yorkshire’s reputation as England’s worst blackspot for illegal killing of birds of prey.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Bird has claimed that poisoning, shooting and trapping all continue to affect birds of prey in many areas of the UK’s uplands, particularly on land managed for intensive grouse shooting.

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But this summer, sea eagles, peregrine falcons, vultures and eagle owls could soon be swooping among Duncombe Park’s ancient tree-tops.

Jemima Parry-Jones, the director of the 45-year-old ICBP, which is based in Gloucestershire, has expressed her frustration at the delays.

The most recent setback prompted a letter to the authority from the Duncombe Park estate after the application was pulled back from going before a NYMNPA planning committee last month.

Mrs Parry-Jones, who was made an MBE for services to bird protection, said: “The application first went in months ago, but we have been talking about this for more than a year.

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“A couple of people in the planning department have behaved extremely badly. There was one national park ecologist who raised concerns about the birds attacking bats, which I can say from great experience will absolutely not be the case.

“Any good-quality tourist attraction, which is what this is, will almost always be good for the area.”

The new centre will contain aviaries, an education centre and staff headquarters and will offer flying demonstrations, owl evenings and work closely with local schools.

It is expected to contain young Steller’s sea eagles (one of four types of the largest eagle in the world), a breeding pair of Eurasian griffon vultures, peregrine falcons, merlins and tawny, barn and eagle owls, among other birds of prey.

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Mrs Parry-Jones said: “If we show these birds close up to people then it raises awareness and hopefully might help stop North Yorkshire having this dreadful record of illegal killing of birds of prey.

“People have this worry that as soon as they see a bird of prey it is going to rip and shred everything in sight.

“Unfortunately, the bigger the bird, the more people think it is going to be a nuisance.”

The director of planning at the NYMNPA, Chris France, defended the delays to the application, and told the Yorkshire Post it was important to assess the proposals thoroughly.

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“The sensitivity of the site requires the details of the proposal to be right,” Mr France said.

“It is a site of special scientific interest and contains the most important veteran trees in the North.

“We were also aware that a lot of people will be going through these trees. We are happy now as officers to recommend approval to members.

“We think that this is a really good project and one that will bring in visitors and help secure the upkeep of the estate. It is a brilliant project but needs careful working through because of these sensitivities.”

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Duncombe Park is one of Yorkshire’s foremost historic houses and estates, and home to the Duncombe family.

The Baroque mansion is set in several hundred acres of parkland.

The International Centre for Birds of Prey was established by renowned falconer Philip Glasier – the father of Mrs Parry-Jones – in 1966.

The North York Moors branch is expected to be operating in the summer if accepted by planning committee members on Thursday.

Grim reputation for bird poisoning

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NORTH Yorkshire is the worst county in England for bird of prey poisoning.

In 2010, four red kites, three buzzards and a goshawk were found poisoned. In addition, a dog was poisoned after eating laced bait.

Latest annual figures show there were 128 reports of illegal poisoning in the UK. The RSPB’s annual Birdcrime report, released last November, shows the highest number of overall reported incidents against birds of prey and owls was 54 in North Yorkshire.

The East Riding of Yorkshire reported four incidents, while South and West Yorkshire reported nine incidents each.

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