By ROBERT GIBSON robert.gibson@hexham-courant.co.uk

Published at 09:42, Friday, 12 March 2010

LAND clearance to make way for a £30million revamp of Prudhoe has come under fire from wildlife experts, gardeners and campaigners against town centre redevelopment.

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Northumberland Estates, which looks after the Duke of Northumberland’s land interests, sent in contractors to tidy up the former allotment land behind the British Legion on Front Street.

The site will be used for an ambitious housing and shopping development for the town.

However, it was claimed this week, that the removal of several hundred metres of hedgerows, as well as several large trees, could be detrimental to both the planning process and the local environment.

A local bat expert raised concerns that the site had been cleared five years after a required ecological survey of the land was carried out.

She said bats could have moved on to the site since the survey was carried out in December 2005.

“If it was an application that was still going through the planning process, they would say the report was out of date after 18 months,” she said. “In this case, however, it’s already been given planning consent.

“In an ideal world, activity should be monitored and the site cleared shortly afterwards, if necessary.

“Bats are mobile – they can move in at any point.”

The Duke’s plans include a Sainsbury’s store, a multi-storey car park and more than 150 new homes.

Since they were passed by Tynedale Council in June 2008, the Cooperative Group has launched a judicial review of the planning process.

Meanwhile, local campaign group Take Pride in Prudhoe has taken its concerns to the Local Government Ombudsman.

This week, the group’s spokesman John Robson sent an email to Northumberland County Council, saying: “The site is the only oasis of greenfield land in the centre of Prudhoe and, as such, is frequently visited by badgers, bats and a wide range of birds.”

He attached photographs of what he said were “snuffle holes and a latrine used by the badgers” and recounted anecdotal evidence of bats and newts.

He also said Northumberland Estates was required to carry out further noise tests and the removal of natural buffers would create a deceptive result.

One of the last remaining gardeners to use the old allotment site, Gary Handiside, meanwhile, complained that, while clearance had been in the pipeline for a while, no immediate notification was given.

The new allotments the gardeners had been allocated at Eastwood Villas, he added, were “very disappointing” and had been struck by severe flooding recently.

Northumberland Estates development director, Colin Barnes, said they would expect criticism of any major development.

“We have been doing a bit of tidying up, nothing more, as we had a request through Prudhoe Town Council and we need to avoid the bird nesting season,” he said.

“In time, we will have to do more extensive clearance and ground-works for the new development.

“However, at present, we are awaiting the outcome of the judicial review.

“That could set back the timescale, but it is not critical.

“I’m afraid that with any major development there will be those who will complain – that’s life.

“I think that promises of new shops for Prudhoe have been around for so long that most people would just like to see things starting, but we are clearly unable to proceed until the Co-op’s legal challenge is resolved.”

Northumberland County Council’s area development manager for the west, Daniel Child, said: “No development requiring planning permission, or breach of condition, has been identified to date by the planning enforcement officers investigating following public complaints.”

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk