Rachel Cook contacted us, being concerned that a lot of people from Holyport will be commenting on the consultation and asking that all the brownfield sites be built on.
She said as follows:
"There is one brownfield site which is a field (next to the Badnell's pit development) and which supports the last remaining population of the toads which cross Ray Mill Road East each spring to breed. The toad patrol is devastated to learn that this site has been included for housing. The population has suffered a catastrophic decline. In 2001 there were over 6000 recorded. Last year and 2012 there was under 90 individuals recorded. It may be that the development of the pit had something to do with this decline - who can say - but it was accepted that the 6000 toads all came from this general area in their heyday. We would be extremely grateful if you would add this information to your blog. Perhaps it demonstrates what value this local authority places on bio-diversity when it says in the site analysis that it has no known conservation issues! RBWM appear to have a short memory - in 2004 its own countryside ranger ran the toad patrol and it was even featured on country file. I would trust the rest of the analysis with a lot of caution. We would like the site to become a local nature reserve to protect the toads for future generations to enjoy."
We wish Rachel success in preventing development that would reduce the Toad population.
As you will all know from this Blog - we do not encourage residents to vote for development in any Green Belt areas, and we encourage development in brownfield. However there are always exceptions and it seem that the area Rachel is concerned about needs especial consideration and development there should receive no encouragement from us.
She said as follows:
"There is one brownfield site which is a field (next to the Badnell's pit development) and which supports the last remaining population of the toads which cross Ray Mill Road East each spring to breed. The toad patrol is devastated to learn that this site has been included for housing. The population has suffered a catastrophic decline. In 2001 there were over 6000 recorded. Last year and 2012 there was under 90 individuals recorded. It may be that the development of the pit had something to do with this decline - who can say - but it was accepted that the 6000 toads all came from this general area in their heyday. We would be extremely grateful if you would add this information to your blog. Perhaps it demonstrates what value this local authority places on bio-diversity when it says in the site analysis that it has no known conservation issues! RBWM appear to have a short memory - in 2004 its own countryside ranger ran the toad patrol and it was even featured on country file. I would trust the rest of the analysis with a lot of caution. We would like the site to become a local nature reserve to protect the toads for future generations to enjoy."
We wish Rachel success in preventing development that would reduce the Toad population.
As you will all know from this Blog - we do not encourage residents to vote for development in any Green Belt areas, and we encourage development in brownfield. However there are always exceptions and it seem that the area Rachel is concerned about needs especial consideration and development there should receive no encouragement from us.
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