Threats From Development - Observe

Stephen Andrews

Alma Place, Richmond, North Yorkshire

Fiona Hunter
Planning Officer
North Yorkshire Council
Mercury House
Station Road
Richmond
North Yorkshire
DL10 4JX

Dear Fiona Hunter

I object to the development of the houses outlined in the Planning Consultation for Application Reference ZD23/00449/FULL

Along with my partner, we are the owners of 19 Alma Place. This proposed housing development located in the ancient wildflower meadow next to our house, will directly affect ourselves and our property.

Reading through the long list of letters that have been sent to you and are now publicly available on the North Yorkshire Council website from residents I can only agree with all the points raised by these concerned parties objecting to this development.

These people have gone into great depth to make you aware of why this project should not be granted planning permission. I will try not to go over the same points that have been put forward for your consideration.

In this letter, I wish to bring to your attention the importance of the location of this proposed housing development from an ecological perspective.

A voice for the field

What qualifies me to give a voice to this field?

Firstly, it is important to understand where my priorities lie. Yes, I live facing the field as I have already indicated, and I will be directly affected by this new housing development if it gets planning permission, but I would like you to understand where my true passion for keeping the ancient meadow in the heart of Richmond lies.

I have lived in Richmond all my life, my mother worked as a shop assistant in Richmond starting work at age 15 at the co-op when it used to be at Cutpurse. My father came to Richmond at age 14 working at the horse racing stables in the town. Many of the older boys in town will also remember my grandfather Tommy Wise who will have cut their hair as lads when he had the barber shop opposite the market hall in Richmond town centre. As a family, we have lived in Richmond for many years, and I have a great passion for the town and the surrounding countryside.

Before moving to Alma place, I lived at Cutpurse. Every time my mother took my sister and me to town or our grandma’s house we would go “down the snicket”. The snicket I refer to is the local name for the footpath between the gardens of the houses of Alma Place and the field of this proposed new housing development. I have fond memories of running down the snicket to look through a fenced-up hole in the drystone wall that enabled me to see into the field, at that time I was still too small to see over the wall. I used to love the excitement of what I could see. If I was very lucky, I would see cows grazing the meadow close to the wall.

During the ensuing years, the snicket was always my chosen route to town. It was not long before the drystone wall was no longer an obstruction to me, so I was able to not only enjoy the flora and fauna of the field, but I got to experience the full view of the town and castle. This view is an iconic view of the castle and the only view that also contains Holy Trinity Church Tower and Greyfriars Tower looking across one of the few remaining ancient wildflower meadows that still give Richmond that medieval feel to it.

The magic this field provided me with at such an early age helped inspire in me a passion for nature, with the local bird life becoming a fascination for me. For the past ten years, I have been studying permaculture design, a community-centred solutions approach to sustainable living and self-reliance, one that delivers meaningful results through the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. In November 2022 I became certified in Applied Permaculture Design

To sum up, the question of what qualifies me to give a voice to this field of the proposed housing development would be that it helped inspire the journey my life has taken and now more than ever this field continues to inspire me.

Public footpath

This public footpath is a very important path to many people who live in Richmond due to it having an ancient wildflower meadow adjacent to it along with a truly iconic view of the town. Each morning during the school term children walk this path going to and from school. Adults also use this path when going to and from work or going to and from town. For many of these people, it’s the only time they will have during a busy day to experience the wildness of nature. In a time when we see mental health issues at an all-time high the value of being able to experience a few moments of nature each day can have such a positive effect on people's health.

Having a public footpath running alongside this ancient wildflower meadow is also of critical importance to people with limited mobility. Here these people have daily access to the wildness of nature without having to rely on the kindness of other people to take them out into the surrounding countryside. This priceless resource will be lost if planning permission is granted. Viewing what would be left of this ancient wildflower meadow from Green Howards Road is not an option due to the danger of traffic. Green Howards Road is an extremely busy, fast road and due to its narrowness, it is not a place you want to be walking along.

The footpath next to the ancient wildflower meadow is also used by lots of walking groups who come to Richmond to experience the exceptional views of the town. The gate leading into the Yorkshire water reservoir is the place where everybody seems to stop and take photographs looking down across the ancient wildflower meadow and into town. This is the truly iconic shot everybody wants to take away with them to share with friends which helps showcase Richmond to other people. This location also gives members of the local running clubs who also regularly use this footpath an excuse to stop for a few moments for a quick photo. If the proposed housing development gets planning permission, then we lose this view forever.

Ecology

I have a friend who is a research academic at Newcastle University focusing on moorland birds in the upper North Yorkshire Dales. My friend talks about a concerning decline of birds in the upper dales but when I tell her how many different types of birds, I get to see every week here in Richmond, she tells me Richmond is the exception and that throughout Britain birds are in heavy decline.

After over 40 years of studying the birdlife of Richmond, some birds have gone from the town, whilst other birds that had long ago disappeared from the town have returned and have become a daily sight. A case in point is the return of the barn owls to the town. It was only 5 years ago that I saw my very first barn owl in the town and what made this sighting even more poignant was the fact the barn owl flew over Green Howards Road from the field in front of my house.

Moving ahead a few years the barn owls now successfully nest a few fields up from the location of the proposed housing development. The barn owls also have a roost throughout the year inside one of the trees in these same fields. In 2022 I watched an adult bird feeding two fledglings in these fields.

From my living room, I often watch the barn owls quartering the field in the morning hunting for mice, voles and shews that form a large part of a barn owl’s diet. I have major concerns that if planning permission is granted the noise from the construction work will frighten the barn owls away from the town and Richmond will once again become devoid of such a majestic bird that has made these ancient wildflower meadows their home.

The small mammal population that this ancient wildflower meadow provides habitat for not only provides food for barn owls, but we also have a healthy population of breeding tawny owls that nest in the large trees around the field. Once again, the noise from the construction site will have a devastating effect on these nesting birds along with the removal of an essential food source.

Owls are not the only birds of prey hunting in this field, it’s common to see kestrels hovering over the meadow hunting along with the buzzards slowly scanning the field for food. As I was writing this section, I had just watched two red kites circling over the field low enough to be searching for carrion. These are the first two red kites I’ve seen in the town, a positive sign that Richmond could soon have a resident population of kites in the coming years if we take care of all our ancient wildflower meadows in and around the town. The field also feeds a large population of smaller birds, some of which nest in the bushes and trees in the field that in turn provide essential food for the local sparrowhawk population.

It’s not just birds that use this field, the meadow provides habitat for hedgehogs both to forage in and to nest. At a time when hedgehogs are in epic decalin across the whole country, their future is looking uncertain. Hedgehogs like untidy areas, once these areas are cleared hedgehog populations also disappear. Taking this into consideration it would be criminal to add to their decline by clearing habitat and then building on such an important site for hedgehogs.

Bats, these small flying mammals are not my expertise so I would like to request that a bat survey be carried out on this meadow. I know that I can go outside any night from spring to late autumn weather permitting and observe a plentiful number of bats flying around. The abundance of insects and months that this field sustains in a year will uphold a large population of these nocturnal creatures that are also under great threat from habitat removal.

Keeping on the subject of insects, moths and butterflies. Ancient wildflower meadows are some of the only ecosystems that are supporting many of our keystone pollinators today. The decline of our native bees should be of major concern. The bumblebee population has been decimated through agricultural practices and urban habitat removal through development. This ancient wildflower meadow boasts an abundance of these pollinators, and this is another reason why this site needs to be protected from development into houses.

Butterflies are also becoming something talked about in past contexts. This ancient wildflower meadow supports several species of butterfly, notably the common blue. It took me more than 30 years to see my first common blue in Richmond, now I often see them flying into my garden from the field.

It is not just the smaller creatures this field provides habitat for like insects, rabbits, small mammals, and birds. There are two larger animals which admittedly I do not want to encourage into my garden, but I am more than happy to observe them in the field. These are badgers and roe deer. I’ve watched many a badger slowly foraging through the meadow looking for anything they can find to eat. Badgers love eating small mammals so once again it’s the mammals getting the short straw, but this shows once again how diverse the meadow is to be able to provide habitat and food for such a large selection of creatures. Roe deer are seldom seen coming into the field to graze. I will see them a few times in quick succession then it will be months before I catch a glimpse of these more elusive creatures but the fact that I do see them so close to the town provides me with the hope that Richmond is perhaps the exception when it comes to both birdlife and wildlife.

To conclude

December 2022 it was a windy dusk as I watched a barn owl quartering the fields hunting from my living room window. What I experienced next was a very remarkable thing. A young lad came walking down the snicket, my first thought was, what bad timing this is with the barn owl so close to the snicket. As I watched the young lad also spotted the barn owl a few meters away from him in the sky above the field held motionless in the wind. The young lad then got his phone out and filmed the owl for a few moments before the owl slowly carried on hunting further up the field. In forty years will that young lad now perhaps a father share a story about the magic of this ancient wildflower meadow to new generations of Richmond folk on how one windy night many years ago a barn owl inspired him to a life committed to protecting the environment? Will this field next to a main thoroughfare to town continue to inspire future generations?

We need to protect every single green space we have around the town and as we have such an abundance in this one small field, to bulldoze off the topsoil destroying a whole ancient ecosystem that has been part of Richmond long before the castle was built to build a housing estate is a crime that will not be forgotten by future generations of Richmond folk.

Now of all times to propose the removal of an ancient wildflower meadow to be replaced with a housing estate at a time when the whole world is looking to protect the environment. Global climate change is not something that could happen in the future, it is happening now. World governments have prioritized sustainability as their main policy agenda. In the proposal for Balton Crofts, it states that trees will be planted at Hornby, near Bedale at the home of the owner of this ancient wildflower meadow so he alone can benefit from the destruction of a whole ecosystem by planting trees on his property. Fiona, please can you explain to me how this helps the barn owls in Richmond feed their chicks?

Scientists are telling us that we are living at an environmental tipping point, as large sections of Europe, America, and Canada, burn with wildfires due to prolonged droughts, India, Japan, and China to name but a few are experiencing some of the worst flooding in generations. Richmond should become a pioneer in rural town ecology by protecting all its green sites and leading by example helping to slow climate change and not speed it up by building more houses when there are currently nearly 400 vacant houses in the town. Richmond has a great opportunity here to become a role model town that focuses on ecology and not just approves panning applications on its green sites.

Fiona, as a passionate member of the local community of Richmond, somebody who is attempting to give a voice to a small field ecosystem that provides biodiversity to the town, I ask you to consider wisely this application for planning permission on this ancient wildflower meadow in Richmond that is home to an abundance of flora and fauna, that if planning permission is approved will sadly come to an end forever.

Yours sincerely

Stephen Andrews

Actions

On the proposed housing development site I would like to request the following

a bat servery
a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA)
an Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA)

Tables

Below are three tables, one is a comprehensive list of the birds I’ve had in my garden and I have seen in the field. The other is a list of the butterflies I’ve spotted in and around the field along with a list of animals I’ve spotted in and around the field.

Birds I’ve spotted feeding in my garden or feeding on and above the field of the proposed housing development site.

House martin	Black-headed gull	Buzzard	Kestrel
House sparrow	Dunnock	Goldfinch	Greenfinch
Barn owl	Tawny owl	Common chiffchaff	Woodpigeon
Mallard	Great spotted woodpecker	Bullfinch	Grey Wagtail
Treecreeper	Woodcock	Nuthatch	Goldcrest
Jay	Magpie	Redpoll	Redwing
Brambling	Fieldfare	Chaffinch	Willow warbler
Great tit	Pheasant	Swallow	Sparrowhawk
Collared dove	Siskin	Long-tailed tit	Common gull
Rook	Feral pigeon	Blue Tit	Wren

Coal Tit

Butterflies I’ve spotted feeding in my garden or on the field of the proposed housing development site.

Peacock	Red admiral	Small tortoiseshell	Small copper
Orange-tip	Small white	Meadow brown	Speckled wood
Common blue	Holly blue	Large white	Small skipper

Animals I’ve spotted feeding in my garden or on the field of the proposed housing development site.

Badger	Roe Deer	Field vole	Common Shew
Wood mouse	Rabbit	Grey Squirrel	Hedgehog
Weasel

From this letter, a few observations stand out.

I have limited knowledge of Bats.
I have limited knowledge of Moths.
My botany knowledge could be improved.
I have limited knowledge regarding a “Preliminary Ecological Appraisal” and an Ecological Impact Assessment”.

Campaigning

During these few weeks of actively campaigning to raise awareness of the application for full planning permission for a residential development on the meadow, I spoke to quite a few local people. I also read all the letters submitted to the planning portal on the North Yorkshire Council website. Most of these letters were people objecting to the building of houses on this field.

It was encouraging to learn from these people the concern they had for the flora and fauna of the meadow. I also got the sense that just like myself there were knowledge gaps in people's understanding of the diversity of nature we have in the town. This often presented itself with a misidentification of species and the look of amazement when I would share with people some of the birds and animals I’ve seen in and around the field.

Another thing I did during my campaign to save the meadow was to reach out to other people and organisations for support. I wrote and sent out many emails to people who I thought would support protecting a wildflower meadow from development. In my list of people, I sent emails to the authors of some of the nature-related books I have read along with leading members of organisations I’m involved with and to organisations that I believed would want to help protect such an important ecosystem.

I received four replies. The first was from a leading ecologist and author who gave me some advice but could not get involved directly due to the distance from where he lived as it was too far for him to visit the field.

The second was from a large wildlife organisation informing me that due to how busy they are and how few staff they have working in such areas they were unable to help.

The third was from the local Green Party thanking me for making them aware of the proposed development and that they would submit an objection letter.

The fourth was a reply from a botanist and author Leif Bersweden who submitted an objection letter highlighting the need to protect all such sites.

I sent out over twenty emails, so the response was a little discouraging, especially from organisations that I’m a paid member of. It was only Leif Bersweden who gave me hope that there are people who care out there, somewhere.

I appreciate people are busy and do not have time to get involved but sending out these emails made me also realise how hard it is to contact people these days. Most authors are hidden behind agents and publishers.

Rewilding

Rewilding is a word that has been thrown around quite a bit when I’ve been talking to people about the field, it also got mentioned during the town council meeting discussing the proposed planning application. About a year ago residents of Richmond received a leaflet from the Liberal Democrats in which a section asked people to recommend sites around Richmond that could benefit from rewilding. I suspect this has something to do with people using rewilding as an option that they feel should happen to the field. My observation here would be, has the term rewilding crept into our lexicon without a full understanding of what it means?

It's been a while since I’ve read anything about where rewilding is heading so it’s also time for me to add this to my research.

Kitchen Garden Revolutions – Observe

Overview

Bolton Crofts Planning Application Objection Letter

Observations

Campaigning

Rewilding