Well, so far the school and developers seem to have made a blundering start. They have cleared the land using a tractor and in doing so trashed a badger sett which we believe to be active having taken expert advice from the Badger Trust. Since this is breeding season they required a licence to clear land in the vicinity of a sett and we have established that they did not apply for one. If so that is a crime and we filed charges with the police who are investigating. It is also illegal to clear land that is habitat to slow worms and there are (perhaps were) loads of them. It seems they cleared the land first and then had a quick, walk-through survey after that had been done. We have another half a dozen problems we are still exploring. They want to tarmac over a public footpath - not possible without special permission (Bristol Ramblers are on the case). They plan to fell trees that have a preservation order on them - possible, but not without specific permit. Our hydrologist tells us the drainage plans are wholly inadequate considering the land is adjacent to a registered Functional Flood Plain. So we are building up a decent portfolio of barriers to building. I think these people are going to wish they never started. That, anyway, is our aim. As to your newts, Kevin, our ecologist tells us that, if they are in area, this is exactly the sort of habitat that is home to Great Crested Newts. We will be looking out for them.
