Rare birds lead to house building freeze across South

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has identified four housing "hot spots" in the region centred around Milton Keynes, the Thames Gateway, Ashford in Kent and the Cambridge-Stansted corridor.

The South East England Regional Assembly last month launched an investigation into the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area which the Home Builders Federation says is holding up development in the region.

But the Government's wildlife adviser, English Nature, said today that development and wildlife can co-exist in the Thames Basin Heaths area, which is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) specifically to protect the woodlark, nightjar and the Dartford Warbler, which are rare across Europe.

Ground nesting birds are particularly vulnerable to disturbance from people, and their dogs and also to losing their young to predators, including domestic pets.

Rob Cameron, English Nature's Thames and Chilterns team leader, said: "These areas of heathland are now scarce in the south east after years of loss and fragmentation by development, roads and other changes.

"It is vital that we maintain the areas that are left and protect the special wildlife they harbour.

"Our new approach could be a win-win for residents, green space, wildlife and developers.

"There is strong evidence that residential development within 5km (3.1 miles) of the SPA has a significant impact on these bird species. As the number of houses goes up, the number of woodlark and nightjar goes down, and disturbance reduces the breeding success of Dartford warblers.

"The main impact of extra housing is the rise in recreational visits people will make to the SPA and this is why we think it is essential that alternative open space is provided as part of residential development plans in the vicinity of the SPA.

"This will spread the load of leisure visits onto other new or improved green areas of public open space."

The Thames Basin Heaths area is bounded by Bracknell in the north, Elmbridge to the east, Guildford and Waverley borough to the south and Hart in the west.

English Nature is advising against development closer than 400 metres (437yards) from the Thames Basin Heaths SPA due to the level of the impact.

For development further from the SPA, English Nature said it was working on an innovative strategic approach with local authorities to lessen the impact.

It said it believed that the risks to the birds from houses could be lessened by alternative green open space aimed at recreational use.

Or there could be improvements to existing open space, so providing other places for people to visit and reducing the number of new residents who visit the SPA.

Together with access and habitat management on the SPA itself, this should safeguard the SPA, English Nature claimed.

It said this was vital given the high number of houses planned for the area.

The emerging South East Plan is proposing upwards of 100,000 new homes.

Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation,
said: "While we welcome the South East Regional Assembly's involvement in co-ordinating this investigation, the fact remains that development could be held up for over two years while a permanent solution is sought.

"A delay of this magnitude threatens the viability of many home building and associated businesses based in the Thames Basin - with clear consequences for many hundreds of jobs.

"It also puts at risk 40,000 new homes over the next 10 years, including 12,000 units of affordable housing, in a region facing the country's worst affordability problems outside London.

"We need the Government to take urgent authoritative action to unlock the freeze on new housing while the process of finding a mutually agreeable longer term solution is undertaken."

Copyright Press Association 2006.