Developer sparks outrage following ‘destruction’ of wildlife habitat

A DEVELOPER has come under fire for “destroying a vibrant and thriving habitat” in Westbury after they cleared a field despite not yet being granted planning permission. 

An application to build up to 40 houses on land off Freestone Grove, found near the Mill Brook estate, was submitted to Wiltshire Council by developer Robert Hitchins earlier this year and has not yet been determined.  

Residents of Freestone Grove say they recently witnessed an excavator clearing a patch of land from the ditch beside Cody Close up to where it meets with Coach Road, which local councillor Gordon King says was an area that supported a vast amount of wildlife. Wiltshire Council says the works are currently under investigation by officers. 

Cllr King says that the clearance may have been done to avoid any delays in the future should the plans be approved as if any birds were found to be nesting in the area it would cause a delay to the development. 

He explained, “I was contacted by residents of Freestone Grove who were concerned about the destruction of a protected boundary and hedge along Coach Road as there were concerns that this has resulted in the total loss of a vibrant and thriving habitat that is popular with birds, insects, bats – some of which could be quite rare. 

“Through their action Robert Hitchins have taken away that habitat without any thought. I believe the reason why this was done now is because they have submitted an outline application for the land around these hedges which is not likely to be determined until November after which they will then have to submit a full reserved matters application which will probably be determined in spring at the start of the bird nesting season, which could cause significant delay to the development if approved.  

“They have pre-emptively and quite arrogantly assumed they will be granted planning permission and have moved to remove these ‘nuisances’ before it becomes a bigger issue when birds are nesting in the spring. These are protected hedges so I immediately wrote to Wiltshire Council to warn of this as well as the potential bonfire in the centre of the field as residents have also raised concerns that the pile left by the excavator in the area could be set ablaze. 

“I have been told by Robert Hitchins that they did this as a significant part of the hedges were dead and apparently the people who carried out the works told residents that they were removing dead material – but that does not matter. If a hedge is protected by a condition, then they should have sought a variation or change on that condition and informed residents. It feels like they have ignored the democratic process.” 

Cllr Nick Botterill, cabinet member for development management and strategic planning at Wiltshire Council, said, “We have been made aware of works taking place on land associated with a current planning application PL/2023/05157, and this is undergoing investigation by officers.”

Robert Hitchins have been approached for comment.