Save the Curlew at Landal Rockingham Forest Park

Photo courtesy of Joshua J Cotten

In late April 2022 planning application NE/22/00266/FUL was published on the North Northants Council (NNC) portal proposing to significantly expand the existing lodge caravan site and construct environmentally damaging infrastructure. Building on open grassland that has been in existence since medieval times when Rockingham Forest covered most of Northants, installing foul drainage infrastructure over 2km+ of disused railway track across open countryside into the village of Kings Cliffe, widening the access road which runs through remnants of ancient Rockingham Forest and up to opposite Bedford Purlieus SSSi as well as commencing on- site quarrying again for minerals to support the development will no doubt have a huge detrimental impact on the rural environment full of rare and protected biodiversity. However, no Environmental Impact Assessment has been carried out as is required by Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2017.

By viewing the Nassington/Kings Cliffe area on the Northants Council Minerals & Waste Local Plan (http://northamptonshire.opus3.co.uk/ldf/maps) and ticking the box on the left hand side the huge number of local wildlife sites and SSSi’s that may be damaged or destroyed can be seen when compared against the plans for this expanding tourist development. The historic quarrying permissions referred to in the application (92/00386/CRA) can also be viewed on the NNC portal. However this environmentally damaging activity needs modern day planning permission in place and input from relevant statutory consultees such as the council's Minerals & Waste department, Environment Agency and Natural England.

This development will certainly have a significant detrimental impact on the curlews habitat as the proposed routes for construction traffic are the existing access road, now used by lodge guests vehicles, and the NM30 bridleway used by horse riders, walkers and cyclists. These routes run through the curlews' grassland habitat surrounding the existing lodges. Being site loyal they return each year to Landal Rockingham Forest Park as their spring/summer breeding habitat.

The curlews were first identified in the 2014 on site bird surveys carried out for the existing caravan lodge site planning application (14/02225/FUL) and have been regularly seen and heard since then despite very intrusive construction activities to support the existing lodge site over the last few years. In 2020 very close to where the curlews were heard and seen wandering around the sandstone crusher was emitting 92DB whilst crushing minerals that had been quarried on site. In addition for many months excavators and plant equipment made constant trips daily between the adjacent industrial estate and construction site passing in close proximity to where the curlews were located.

This year the arrival of the curlews to Landal Rockingham Forest Park was no different. Early one sunny morning in mid March I saw them fly over my garden southwards heralding the sign of spring. However what the future brings for these rare birds with the proposed huge expansion of the tourist site has yet to be determined.