Don't Hem in Havannah

Don't Hem in Havannah

Started
13 August 2016
Signatures: 14,867Next Goal: 15,000
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Why this petition matters

Newcastle Great Park Consortium wants to build 1,200 houses and two schools within metres of Havannah and Three Hills Nature Reserve, in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Havannah and Three Hills is a designated Local Nature Reserve and Local Wildlife Site and a last haven for red squirrels in Newcastle.

Several protected species, including birds, bats, badgers and great crested newt depend on the reserve and surrounding fields, which are used by several threatened bird species, including skylark, linnet, curlew, lapwing, yellow hammer and grey partridge.

Havannah is one of only two areas of lowland heath in Newcastle and provides habitat for twenty butterfly species – including the rare Dingy Skipper – and hundreds of moth species.

Land around the reserve currently acts as a buffer zone between red and grey squirrels. Greys carry the deadly pox virus and outcompete reds for food, but 1,000+ houses with gardens would see the loss of this important buffer zone and grey squirrels would quickly colonise the reserve, wiping out the red squirrels.

The proposed number of houses far exceeds the number originally intended for the site. The Core Strategy and Urban Core Plan allocated land for 880 houses - not 1,200.

The application is flawed in terms of the principle and legality of the proposed location of playing fields in Cell B1 and the proposed residential development in Cell A. 

Increased recreational activity and the introduction of more domestic pets in and around the reserve will have severe adverse effects on wildlife, which will be compounded by light spill, noise and other disturbance

So many houses in such close proximity to the reserve would devastate local wildlife populations and threaten a nationally significant red squirrel population. 

Please sign the petition to ask Newcastle City Council to significantly reduce the proposed number of houses on site and preserve one of Newcastle’s most important wildlife habitats.

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Signatures: 14,867Next Goal: 15,000
Support now
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