They want to cut down its trees.
They want to bulldoze over the land.
And they want to concrete over the nature.
Despite local enviromentalists warning them of the devastation this would cause the town centre’s wildlife and the fact that there is a Devon Biodiversity Action Plan, the council still do not to listen.
The place has well over 100 mature trees, countless shrubs and a stream with ponds fed by the famous Leechwells. Many residents have always said it acts as the main hub for the town centre’s wildlife and that if this goes, so too would it’s biodiversity.
in a recent Government consultaion the WWF have emphasised the need for truly sustainable development and positve planning decsions, based on good community engagement, good information, and sound polices and processes. So far South Hams District Council have done absolutely nothing.
When consulted in their meeting last week the council did not want to mention this area, as they said ”it is a Brown Site not worth saving!"
They obviously can’t tell the difference between a wooded paradise where children have played and a piece of concrete dead to the world.
Many local residents are calling for this area to be a conservation site where there is full species and habitat protection, thus saving this place and the centre’s biodiversity from destruction.
I could go on about politics but there is an underlying factor to this, the relationship between the wildlife and us
Do you like waking up in the morning to birdsong, the sight of bats in the night sky, or the look of amazment on your child’s face when they are in nature?
How lucky we are to have this place which provides all this and much, much more in town.
QUESTION FROM AUDIENCE: “What wildlife has been spotted there?”
| Slow Worms | Shrews | Long-Tailed Tits | Jays |
| Eels | Dormouse | Blackbirds | Fieldfare |
| Frogs | Field Mice | Woodpeckers | Chaffinch |
| Toads | Bats | Robins | Dunnock |
| Newts | Hedgehogs | Thrush | Redwing |
| Grass Snake | Fox | Wrens | Great Tit |
| Squirrels | Goldfinches | Coal Tits | Bullfinches |
| Blue Tits | Kingfisher |
and many rare sights and sounds of different species of insects ... the list goes on
The problem is - all of our wild friends cannot speak up for themselves So on that note I’d like to leave you with a short poem.
| Slow Worms | Shrews | Long-Tailed Tits | Jays |
| Eels | Dormouse | Blackbirds | Fieldfare |
| Frogs | Field Mice | Woodpeckers | Chaffinch |
| Toads | Bats | Robins | Dunnock |
| Newts | Hedgehogs | Thrush | Redwing |
| Grass Snake | Fox | Wrens | Great Tit |
| Squirrels | Goldfinches | Coal Tits | Bullfinches |
| Blue Tits | Kingfisher |
Please also note that during the summer the place is alive with some rare sights and sounds of many species of insects, too diverse to mention.
We know some of the fauna mentioned are protected under European Law. The SHDC planners must follow certain proceedures as clearly stated in the Planning Policy Guideline 9 (PPG9). I have asked them why they have obviously ignored this and the fact that there is a Devon Biodiversily Action Plan, however I still await a response.
The flora is also too diverse to mention. The full array will be evident in the warmer months, where the eco-system has created a botanist’s dream. There are a wide array of plants surrounded by many mature trees, some dripping with different species of moss, fern and lichen. The hollows and branches of the trees act as crucial nesting and roosting sites for many species of wildlife, especially during the breeding season.
Many environmental agencies and organisations continue to work to influence policies that govern how development decisions are made. Some of these organisations are scrutinising this damaging proposed SHDC development plan and how it is carried out For example, in the past, in the recent Government consultation on changes to the English planning system (the Planning Green Paper), WWF have emphasised the need for truly sustainable development and positive planning decisions, based on good community engagement, good information, and sound policies and processes. So far your colleagues in the SHDC Planning Departmnent have done nothing.
We urge you and your SHDC Wildlife Department to become involved in saving the Totnes centre’s eco-system and indeed the centre’s imperative wildlife biodiversity huE We urge you to push for the full implementation of the Habitats and Species Directive 1992, to ensure the town centre’s most valuable wildlife site is protected and managed through designation as a Special Area of Conservation or a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Myself and many other local environmentalists are desperate that this area does have full species and habitat protection and ask you to push forward the right measures withir the Count~side and Rights of Way Act 2000 to make this happen. The town centre’s biodiversity depends on it.
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience regarding this matter of great urgency.
Yours sincerely
Theo Whelan