Protesters step up homes row
By PAUL GEATER, local government correspondent
Saturday, July 3, 2010
11:53 AM
IPSWICH: Furious protesters are today preparing to step up the battle to prevent the development of a “green lung” on the edge of town.
The borough council owns the 11-acre Kiln Meadow site on the edge of Pinewood – even though the land is actually in Babergh district.
Kiln Meadow is sandwiched between Spring Wood and Bobbit’s Lane nature reserve – and it is home to the largest recorded colony of toads in the country. However, the borough is now set to sell it in a multi-million pound deal that could see 170 homes built on the site.
The borough’s executive will discuss the sale on July 13, and the recommendation will be to sell. Deputy leader John Carnall said: “We have been made a multi-million pound offer from a developer and it really is an offer we are unable to refuse.
“The council needs capital receipts to allow us to repair and invest in our other buildings – without capital receipts we could not have repaired Crown Pools, Fore Street baths, the Regent, or the Town Hall and Corn Exchange.”
The council will ensure that development can only take place on seven of the 11 acres – and said the four acres left clear as a nature reserve includes the area used by 90 per cent of the toad colony.
Mr Carnall said: “We believe we have struck a very good compromise and £1million of the money we get for the land will be set aside for new environmental projects all over the town.” However, Ray Sidaway from the Ipswich Wildlife Group, which is leading the battle to save Kiln Meadow, said: “Where do they get their figures that 90pc of toads use that part of the meadow? They haven’t done any survey there.
“Are they relying on our figures showing where the toads cross Bobbit’s Lane? If so, that is not at all reliable because the toads can fan out across the meadow.”
Two petitions have been organised – one with 800 signatures from residents who use the open spaces and a Facebook petition with 320 signatures. They are due to be presented to councillor Paul West on Monday.
Babergh has already granted outline permission for development on the site – although this decision was criticised by the Local Government Ombudsman because of a lack of a full environmental assessment.
n Should Kiln Meadow be developed? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@evening star.co.uk
More news
- Suffolk/Essex: Region warned to brace itself for snow fall
- Suffolk/Essex: Car parking ‘good value’ in town centres
- Colchester: Overhaul for town’s leisure services
- Another Schmallenberg ‘deformed lamb disease’ case found in East Anglia
- New ‘one stop shop’ as college opens its doors
- East Anglia: Ambulance service failing to meet emergency response times in Suffolk and Essex
- Deadline approaches for Suffolk Agricultural Association’s spring farriery championship
- Bury St Edmunds: Hundreds of RAF service personnel celebrate Regiment’s 70th anniversary
- Freezing temperatures grip county as snow is on the way
- Waldringfield: Firefighters at chimney fire
3 comments
There are a good many houses and flats in Ipswich which are empty. Many have crashed in price because of the recent economic woes. If IBC sells this land for building, it is clearly all about filling a black hole in the accounts and nothing to do with providing cost effective and needed housing. 1 million pounds of environmental projects can not make up for the loss of a valuable environmental resource. This land forms a slim wedge shape between existing nature reserves - Spring Wood and the wet lands of Belstead Brook. Please do not support IBC in this crass short term gain at the expense of our irreplaceable environment. Kiln Meadow can be used in environmentally responsible ways to educate children about wildlife and to provide open space for suitable leisure and recreational pursuits. There is no need to sell part of our heritage for such short term gain.
Report this comment
RoS
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
I'm amazed that a developer actually wants this site! It'll be tough to build on what with all the protesters there will be. Also It is very near the Sewage works- the part they are not selling is partly because they couldn't build there because it is too close to the sewage works! Also there are high voltage overhead power lines and a duel carriageway along the side of the site. I wouldn't want to live there so how are they going to make any money on this? If the council need money so much why can't they sell of some of the art they have that no-one looks at? The council in Bolton did so and the artworks won't be destroyed unlike this priceless wildlife site. I hope people realise how important this site is, it has the highest recorded number of these rare creatures in the entire country.
Report this comment
KateYork
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The law states that a basic phase 1 ecological survey must be carried out upon this site, which has not taken place. A toad patrol that takes place in the migration season (feb-apr), this is not a legally binding survey, it simply proves the abundance of wildlife on this site. The council is only able to get away with this becuase nobody has the financial clout to take on the lawsuit, by which time the houses will probably be already built.
Report this comment
Peter84
Tuesday, July 6, 2010