Badgers could delay Dry Street plans (From Echo)
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Badgers could delay Dry Street plans
1:30pm Thursday 14th February 2013 in Local News By Jon Austin
Frank Last has called for answers from the council
BADGERS could scupper controversdial plans to develop hundreds of homes on Dry Street, the Echo can reveal.
Councillors will soon vote over a joint application from Basildon Council, the Homes and Communities Agency and South Essex College for a 725-home development across the current campus and beauty spot, to fund a £35million new college in Basildon town centre.
However, the Echo has discovered that a survey of badger populations across the site, which highlights that an ancient badger set will have to be destroyed to make way for the houses, shops and primary school, has been kept hidden from members who will make the decision and during a public consultation.
The council initially told the Echo the report was confidential because legislation designed to conceal the location of badger sets to protect them from badger baiters prevented its release.
Campaigners are now calling for the urgent release of the report before plans are agreed.
Frank Last chairman of the Essex Badger Protection Group said: “I have a lot of experience with these applications and in my experience no other council has kept them secret. Badgers can impact the size a development can be and in this case one of the sets is in the middle of the site and would have to be destroyed.”
Comments(9)
howironic
says...
3:02pm Thu 14 Feb 13
Has Rich~Carol ritten this
Cosmo Spring
says...
4:21pm Thu 14 Feb 13
Don't expect a few badgers to stand in their way
victoriaavenue
says...
4:25pm Thu 14 Feb 13
Why is it possible for developers to build on our 'Best and Most Versatile agricultural land (BMV)' - because it's land that will never feed another mouth again.
The answer's in my petition, which I hope you'll sign -- it's called: Safeguard our Soils, Mr. Pickles!
Please read more about it, sign here and pass on:
http://www.avaaz.org
/en/petition/Safegua
rd_our_Soils_Mr_Pick
les/?launch
barneydrop
says...
7:17pm Thu 14 Feb 13
Thomo100
says...
7:47pm Thu 14 Feb 13
TheWizzard
says...
8:43pm Thu 14 Feb 13
Cosmo Spring wrote:Did the same at gloucester park where bats are protected
Basildon Council have a long historic disregard of protected/endangered species and their habitats dating right back to the sixties.
Don't expect a few badgers to stand in their way
ChampKind
says...
4:22am Fri 15 Feb 13
Cosmo Spring
says...
9:43am Fri 15 Feb 13
TheWizzard wrote:years ago, when they 'sanitised' the area to the east of the main bulk of the park and south of Sharpeville Hills leading towards the square pond, they systematically destroyed acres of habitat that supported great crested newts and many other species including grass snakes, lizards and butterflies.
Cosmo Spring wrote:Did the same at gloucester park where bats are protected
Basildon Council have a long historic disregard of protected/endangered species and their habitats dating right back to the sixties.
Don't expect a few badgers to stand in their way
Dan_ says...
1:46pm Thu 14 Feb 13
Well done Frank.