Roswell Pits nature haven threatened (South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats)

South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats <info@secambslibdems.org.uk>

Roswell Pits nature haven threatened

June 18, 2007 12:54 PM

Gaynor Griffiths inspecting the site at Roswell Pits

Gaynor Griffiths inspecting the site of SSSI at Roswell Pits

Ely's most cherished wild-life sanctuary is under threat. Roswell Pits, a stunning area of unpolluted lakes and beautiful woodland that is the natural habitat to species of wild animals and birds, is reported by some people to be being "aggressively invaded" by its new owner Jalsea Marine Services Ltd. Without the benefit of planning permission or community consultation, trees were felled during the nesting period and tree roots severed when a two foot wide trench was dug around the periphery of the site into which cables and pipes are being laid. Designated as a County Wild-life Site, the area provides vital habitat to the rare Bittern, (threatened with extinction ten years ago) the Kingfisher, owls, Snipe and Marsh Harriers. The lakes are regularly visited by otters which can be seen with their young rolling about and swimming at the water's edge.

Natural England is the body responsible for the designation of areas as Sites of Special Scientific interest. (SSSi) Consent was given for works to the fabric of the SSSi to clear the track adjacent to the site believing that it would stabilise and protect the SSSi geological features. This activity has been criticised by The Wildlife Trust since the residual clay and soil was put into the lake causing damage to the marginal aquatic vegetation (the reedbeds), which are a home to breeding Marsh Harriers.

The area should be well protected by planning laws and conservation agency restrictions, so how has the development of a potential 500-berth Marina managed to progress so far without any sign of a planning application to date (3rd June)?

County Councillor Nigel Bell says: "It is essential that the developer properly consults with all the correct bodies prior to any further work here. This is a sensitive site and must be treated with extreme care."

"The public must also have the proper opportunity to comment on plans through the planning process and, because it is such an important area for wildlife, plans should always be accompanied by an environmental impact assessment."

The area contains a Site of Special Scientific Interest(SSSI) which is a clay cliff with important fossil deposits. The neglect of this site for the last two decades means that works must be carried out to protect and shore-up this important geological feature.

A well attended public meeting of over 300 people met and heard speakers from the RSPB, the Wildlife Trust and the "local campaigners for the protection of rural Ely" (LCPRE). Ely's two Lib Dem County Councillors Nigel Bell and Simon Higginson along with Gaynor Griffiths sat in the front row, and were pleased to hear that so much more wildlife had been discovered at the site that the RSPB were applying for it to have SSSi status for its wildlife, and not just for its geology. The LCPRE are planning their own LCPRE website later this month (June).

County Councillor Nigel Bell said he was pleased to see the owner present and willing to talk to parties interested in conservation. All of us welcome the news that the owner might be prepared to sell the site, and we support a public campaign to bring about the site being acquired by the public as a community asset. Everyone at the meeting (bar two people involved in the boating industry) supported the idea of trying to obtain the site as an official publicly-owned wildlife Nature Reserve.

In the meantime we would like to see the planning processes followed rigorously and used to ensure that a Full Environmental Impact Assessment is made of intended plans for the site.