No Planning Permission – No Protection!
Julie Hay
Have you noticed changes taking place on and around Carrington Moss? These changes largely involve the removal and loss of natural habitat or longstanding features of the landscape. Some are taking place without any planning permission or council oversight at all.
Residents have noticed changes on Isherwood Rd (on the left as you drive in from the A6144). A large vehicle was observed removing hedgerow recently. The site was left with ground disturbed and an electric fence installed.
Many hedgerows are considered to be protected priority habitat. They are vital for a wide range of species, including birds, insects, and mammals, and provide essential movement and feeding corridors for wildlife. Because of their high ecological value, the conservation, restoration, and enhancement of hedgerows are typically a material consideration in planning decisions. Yet, if there is no planning application, there is no protection and no consideration of the Hedgerows Regulations 1997. Hedges and trees also protect the land from soil erosion and flooding, particularly in areas that are subject to significant surface water flooding, like Carrington Moss.
Sadly, this hedgerow destruction is not the only example. The temporary road to the planned Battery Storage System (BESS) will also damage the natural environment. That environmental damage will be carried out under ‘permitted development’ rules. This is development which requires no planning permission, there is much less oversight and NO environmental assessment! So, huge harm to the deep peat in the area, perhaps impacting the wider mossland, no protection for wildlife and birds or the habitats they use for breeding and feeding. The BESS itself will be adjacent to a Grade A site of biological importance, and the developer identified 79 bird species that will be impacted by their scheme.
Elsewhere on the moss, despite alternatives that would reduce car use to their site, MUFC has created an overspill car park on productive Grade 2 agricultural land, without any planning permission, again impacting wildlife corridors and the land used by red listed ground nesting birds, such as the skylark.
In addition, numerous large established trees were felled at the back of the National Grid site, leading to the forestry Commission posting notices forbidding any further tree felling activity without permission.
Nearby, the copse at the junction of Carrington Lane and the Spur Road has been stripped of its trees and shrubs, degrading the land before any potential planning application is submitted. The remnants of this vital former bird and wildlife corridor can be seen opposite the Mersey Farm pub
So, biodiversity can be seriously harmed without a planning application being put forward and this is all happening in addition to the destruction of the natural environment that will be caused by the proposed developments on and around Carrington Moss, including the Carrington Relief Road.
It cannot be sustainable to further deplete the populations of threatened or endangered species. And it is not only the birds and wildlife that suffer, without those trees and hedgerows, where do you think all that water will go??? Your homes and gardens, your health and wellbeing could be seriously impacted – so continue to share your photographs of all the damage being caused on and around Carrington Moss and let your councillors know what YOU think.
Friends of Carrington Moss 
You must be logged in to post a comment.