The Government has been urged to re-think its attitude to developing on brownfield land, following concerns ‘valuable’ sites could be destroyed.
The Land Trust and Buglife has said a renewed focus on using brownfield land for housing could endanger some of the UK’s best wildlife sites and should not be the first port of call for new developments.
Euan Hall, chief executive of The Land Trust, said: ‘Certainly, there are areas of brownfield that are well positioned to accommodate the UK’s housing needs, but equally, there are many brownfield sites are more valuable to society and the environment as public open space. A blinkered blanket approach is damaging.
‘Brownfield can be a great place for wildlife, a great place for society to engage with nature and reap the benefits of the open space, as well as being a resource to assist with climate change adaptation.’
Dr Sarah Henshall, Lead Ecologist at Buglife, said: ‘As well as being wildlife havens, brownfield sites often provide communities with the only opportunity to engage with nature in urban areas, offering many more experiences of wildflowers and wildlife than many over-manicured parks with their billiard green lawn and lolly pop trees.’
The organisations point to Oliver Road Lagoons as a prime example of valuable brownfield land (pictured). A disused power station was transformed into a wildlife haven, supporting over 1,300 different species.
The Land Trust and Buglife are calling for a debate around how brownfield should be properly considered in the planning process.