Suffolk Wildlife Trust fears key sites could lose protected status

The disused Great Eastern railway between Lavenham and Long Melford is one of hundreds of wildlife sites in Suffolk that could lose its protection, under proposed changes to planning policy.

Consultations ended on Thursday on the Government’s proposals, which, if implemented, would see all references to local or county wildlife sites being removed from the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

This change would eliminate protection for more than 900 locations in Suffolk designated as a Local Wildlife Site (LWS) – totalling about five per cent of the county’s land mass – which otherwise do not have any legal protection from being developed.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) has joined up with other trusts to object to the changes, with a nationwide petition collecting more than 25,000 signatures in opposition.

James Meyer, SWT senior conservation planner, told the Free Press it is essential to maintain the protections for these sites, describing them as “the backbone” of the natural environment in Suffolk.

He pointed to the old rail line, which now serves as a nature walk from Melford Hall to Lavenham Guildhall, as an example of an important “green corridor” that allows wildlife to spread naturally throughout the landscape.

“Local authorities in Suffolk understand the importance of county wildlife sites and have effectively used planning policy to protect them for years,” he said.

“If reference to these sites is no longer included in national planning policy, then, as local plans are reviewed, the requirement to translate this protection to a local level would be lost and sites would be irrevocably damaged.

“They don’t have to be barriers to development. We understand there has to be development, but we need good development, so these sites can act as a hub for good design, while protecting the wildlife already there.

“From the number of signatures the petition has received, it seems there is a strong public feeling for this.

“We have got to be hopeful and we believe we have put together a good scientific argument for keeping these sites protected.”

Other sites in the Sudbury area that could potentially lose their LWS protected status include the Sudbury Riverside Meadows and the disused Great Waldingfield airfield.

It is understood that a number of local councils and Suffolk MPs participated in the consultation and voiced concerns about the potential effects the policy changes could have on wildlife in the county.

The Government is now reviewing the submissions from the consultation period, and is expected to publish further details of its NPPF proposals in the coming months.

There are 42,000 sites in the UK with Local Wildlife Site (LWS) designation, including woodlands, churchyards, roadside areas and tiny copses.

These sites are given LWS status after being identified by local authorities, conservation organisations, charities and nature and ecology experts.

The sites are considered vital for preserving wildlife and providing buffers from surrounding land use.