We think putting a path through a Newcastle nature reserve will be devastating
Controversial plans to build a new walking and cycling route through a Newcastle nature reserve could be signed off this week.
Wildlife campaigners have railed against the prospect of an asphalt walkway illuminated by street lights being installed through the Havannah Nature Reserve.
The plan is the latest stage in development of the Newcastle Great Park housing estate in the north west of the city and has sparked fears of a “devastating” impact on the species who live in the sanctuary.
More than 1,600 people have signed a Save Newcastle Wildlife petition calling for the path to be redirected elsewhere, warning of a “widespread loss of biodiversity” and particular concern that the five metre-high LED lighting will disrupt animals’ feeding and breeding patterns.
However, the plans from the Newcastle Great Park Consortium are earmarked for approval ahead of a hearing in front of the city council’s planning committee this Friday, a decision which was delayed from July last year.
In their report to councillors, city planners call the scheme a “positive proposal” that will improve connectivity and that the opening of a long-awaited high school at the Great Park is “entirely reliant” on the path being built.
They admit that the development would cause harm to the Havannah Nature Reserve, but claim that would be “limited” and that tree planting elsewhere on the Great Park “will provide mitigation for the loss of landscaping and provide new habitat for wildlife, which will ultimately provide a net gain in biodiversity”.
The report adds: “It is also not considered that the development will have an adverse impact on protected species, with the design and management of the lighting mitigating for any impact, notably on bats, and conditions proposed to protect species during construction.
“In addition, it is considered that the delivery of the routes and associated infrastructure such as street lighting and the bridges would preserve the openness of the Green Belt, both visually and spatially.”
The consortium has previously said that the development of the walking and cycling path, which would follow the course of an existing path through the reserve to Hazlerigg, was a requirement of the planning permission it was granted by the city council for the Great Park estate.
On top of the petition, 159 further objections have been made against the plans ahead of Friday’s meeting compared to 19 public comments in support.
The Northumberland Wildlife Trust said that it was “not fully satisfied that efforts to avoid lighting impacts on Havannah Nature Reserve and protected species are appropriate”, while the Campaign to Protect Rural England warned that the plans would cause “significant harm”.
The proposals also cover another foot and cycle path on land to the south of the former Sage offices on Wagonway Drive and the replacement of two existing bridges over the River Ouseburn.
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