March 30th, 2010
A housing development plan that has been put forward to be placed at Talbot Heath has been condemned by the RSPB.
The housing project application is said to be for 450 student flats and 378 homes and is to sit alongside the heathlands in Poole. A protest has been lodged to the Poole Borough Council and they along with other Dorset councils have committed to safeguard the heaths from any residential development within 400 metres, under a planning framework.
The RSPB have fears that this huge development will do a lot of damage to the unique wildlife that live on the heath. It is going to cause a huge disturbance and put immense pressure on the heathlands and the inhabitants it supports like the Dartford Warblers and the rare sand lizards. Not only is it going to have an enormous effect on the heathlands and wildlife, this development is only going to add to the already traffic congested Wallisdown Road.
Talbot heath is not only a protected site, has countless statutory designations being named a UK site of special scientific interest, European special protection area and special area of conservation it is also a wetland site of international importance under the RAMSAR convention.
The RSPB are standing alongside the local residents, Natural England and Dorset Wildlife Trust who are all against these housing plans.
Tags: Dorset Wildlife Trust, housing development, Natural England, Poole Council, protest, RAMSAR, RSPB, Talbot Heath, Wildlife | Posted in Local Councils, News, Wildlife, environment
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August 19th, 2009
The Borough of Poole boasts many stretches of heathland, involving a size greater than 700 football pitches, which not only houses important wildlife, but brings great pleasure to the local community.
These sites provide green spaces which are the ‘green lungs’ of the town, contributing to improving people’s physical and mental health by providing places for informal recreation – walking, sitting, socialising and children’s play; breathing spaces to take time out from the stresses of modern life. Yet these beautiful areas have been subject to a recent spate of arson attacks.
A particularly bad fire in April damaged one-third of Talbot Heath in Poole. There were 20ft flames which the wind swept from one end of the heath to the other, destroying protected wildlife and wrecking the habitat of one of Britain’s rarest birds, the Dartford Warbler. It is believed that this land will not recover from this alleged arson attack for 10 – 15 years!
Because of the increasing number of these incidents desperate measures have had to be taken. These fires which happen with alarming regularity during the spring and summer months are at best started carelessly and at worst deliberately. The situation has got so bad that the Dorset Police are now offering a £250 reward to anyone who can provide them with any information on the perpetrators.
Tags: arson, Dartford Warbler, Dorset Police, green lung, Poole, Talbot Heath | Posted in Local Councils, Wildlife
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