A Lancashire woodland management company has restored a wildlife habitat in Handforth after admitting liability for damaging it.
The firm carried out the restoration after admitting to the offence of ′disturbing nesting birds′ at a site earmarked for new development at ′The Race′, next to Caldy Road in Handforth.
Disturbing nesting birds is an offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981.
The incident occurred during February 2014 when an area of woodland was cut down by the company on behalf of a developer, prior to an application for housing being submitted.
Cheshire Police Wildlife Crime Officer PC Jim Day, who works as part of the Knutsford Rural Watch Scheme, conducted a joint investigation with RSPCA Inspector Andy Harris.
The woodland management company was investigated and admitted liability for disturbing nesting birds at the site.
Police made a decision to take a Restorative Justice approach to repair the damage which had been caused.
Under Restorative Justice, the woodland management company produced an Ecology Enhancement Plan. This resulted in the company re-sustaining the wildlife habitat by placing six bat boxes, three open-fronted Robin boxes, three Blue Tit boxes and four hedgehog boxes around the site.
PC Jim Day said: "This type of incident shows that we take wildlife crime seriously in Cheshire.
"Through a joint police investigation with our partners at the RSPCA, the company acknowledged that they had done wrong and paid £1,500 to put the matter right by installing bird, bat and hedgehog boxes around the woodland site which we believe has put these wrongs right."
RSCPA Inspector Andy Harris said: "When development of land is planned the wildlife in it is often not taken seriously enough. A comprehensive habit survey needs to be carried out for all animals that could live on the land before any work takes place."
Photo: shows one of the bird boxes in situ at the site.
Comments
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However, the cynic in me wonders if such companies do commercial risk assessments and decide whether a fine of £X would be an acceptable risk against commencement of early works, and then proceed at risk.
If I had my way, such actions would put a black mark against any subsequent planning permission application.
No trees have been planted as Restorative Justice and CEC failed to act obo Dean Row residents. It's far too much of a coincidence that out of a dozen or so trees, it had to be these two specifically that were felled.
So, are our bats going to make it through the winter? Where and how? What else has been possibly fatally disturbed? Perhaps all is fine, but there are no facts in the public domain, that I have found.
Then with 200 houses and possibly several hundred more, further east on Adlington Rd, the food chain in the River Bollin is under serious threat. Plus prescription drugs that prevent fish reproduction, seems that a new invisible pollution will kill off the river, returning it to Victorian times.
Mr Jefferay makes an excellent point and I expect that his vigilance as a Cllr will be far better than Cllr Menlove, who together with Cllr Whiteley surely haven't done sufficiently well to deserve our future votes.
When things go right, they take the glory, when they go wrong it's not their fault. So common in today's CEC world.
So our boys in blue were busy protecting bats and birds. Surely the wildlife crime they should be bothering about occurs usually on Friday and Saturday nights!!!