Newcastle City Council is setting out its latest development plans, which they are calling their ‘One Core Strategy’, this includes a ‘Strategic Land Review’ in which they have identified potential sites for new development.

They are proposing that 8,000 new homes are built in the Green Belt, including 600 new homes in the fields next to Gosforth Park Nature Reserve, which they are calling Salter’s Lane Neighbourhood Growth Area – the fields are conveniently owned by Persimmon Homes. You can see maps of the proposed development area at www.ncl.ac.uk/sustainability/assets/documents/Mapofproposeddevelopment.pdf.

Many of you will know that these fields are home to otters, roe deer, badgers, bats, owls and songbirds and are an important wildlife corridor and part of the Green Belt. The reserve is one of Newcastle’s last remaining wildlife areas and is home to rare birds, plants and animals, including England’s last urban population of red squirrels.

The fields that would be destroyed provide essential foraging habitat for wildlife that lives in the nature reserve.  Without this habitat this wildlife will be lost forever.  This includes families of badgers and roe deer, brown hare, otters, voles, shrews, several species of bats and birds such as barn owl, kestrel, and buzzard. The reserve is one of Newcastle’s last remaining wildlife areas and is home to England’s last urban population of red squirrels. The area is also attractive and peaceful countryside that is well used and loved by local walkers, nature enthusiasts, dog walkers and cyclists.

This area is so valuable for wildlife that 10 years ago Newcastle Council designated this area as a Strategic Wildlife Corridor linking Jesmond Dene to the wider countryside.  Further developments since then make this wildlife corridor even more important today.  The Government’s Environmental White Paper, published in June, highlights the importance of creating buffer zones around important wildlife sites and retaining wildlife corridors – the Council’s proposal clearly goes against this Government advice.

The Council is consulting people on their views of these plans.  You have until 18 November to tell them what you think.

Your views will make a difference.

You can stop the destruction of our wildlife and countryside by telling the Council that you object to their plans.  The more people who object the better the chance we have to stop this terrible proposal and to save our wildlife and open spaces for future generations.

You can view the Council’s full plans at http://onecorestrategyng-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal

If you want to give them your views on their plans to build houses next to the nature reserve, then the policy that you are objecting to is Policy CS3 1a Salter’s Lane Neighbourhood Growth Area.

To give your comments online go to http://www.nhsn.ncl.ac.uk/news/cms/save-gosforth-wildlife/ and follow the instructions.  Alternatively send your comments by email to planning&housingstrategy@newcastle.gov.uk or write to Harvey Emms, Director of Planning, Newcastle City Council, Civic Centre, NE1 8PD.

Local residents, the Natural History Society of Northumbria and Northumberland Wildlife Trust are encouraging people who live, work or visit Newcastle to contact the Council and object to these plans and ask the Council to protect this important wildlife area for future generations.

To demonstrate our opposition we are holding a public walk-about of the area at 11am on Sunday 30 October (meet at the entrance to the nature reserve  http://www.nhsn.ncl.ac.uk/resources-gosforth-nature-reserve.php) and there will be a public meeting with Newcastle planners held at Gosforth Civic Hall, 7pm on Tuesday 15 November. Please come along to these events to show your support.

Please forward details of this proposed and our objections to neighbours, friends or colleagues and ask them to give their views as well, or help to circulate on Facebook and Twitter.

This type of threat to Gosforth Park and other nature reserves is set to become more common if the government’s planning reforms go ahead.  We would encourage you to write to your MP asking them to influence the Government’s reforms so that they benefit the natural environment not just the development industry.  The Wildlife Truts have a web-page to help you do this http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/nppf?dm_i=9L7,1WPE,ZLI4G,1OEK7,1

The wildlife at Gosforth Park really needs your support at this critical time. We really hope that you will take a few minutes to contact Newcastle City Council to object to their plans, and if possible join us on the 30 October or 15 November.

James Littlewood, Director, Natural History Society of Northumbria, www.nhsn.ncl.ac.uk