Campaigners call for Shrewsbury fields to be fenced off to protect wildlife
Members of a campaign group fighting plans to build homes on a wildflower meadow in Shrewsbury say they would prefer to see the site fenced off and remain undeveloped than be able to enjoy it as they do now.
FCC Environment Ltd and DBA Estates acting on behalf of the landowner are proposing to build 52 homes on land at Mousecroft Lane in Radbrook.
Last week, the firms said that should plans for the housing development not gain the approval of Shropshire Council, they would fence off the fields to prevent anti-social behaviour and trespassing.
But the community group, Friends of Radbrook Fields, which has over 470 members, has said that after consulting within the group, it could not find instances of any anti-social behaviour taking place on the fields and has no knowledge of anyone ever calling the police.
David Turner, spokesman for the group, said: "Evidence of this would be welcome. No crime has been committed, as entry to the fields is uninhibited due to poor maintenance of the fences, and has been for about 25 years. They also mention damage to wildlife habitat; there is also no evidence of this.
"We fear they are trying to change the narrative of the story to make the wildlife meadow sound unimportant to the community.
"The threat to fence off 12 hectares of land and restrict our access does not affect our main aim, which is to save the wildflower meadow from development, for future generations.
"We have always known that it is private property and that is why we have always focused on the ecology of the site and not our right to access.
"In fact, fencing the site off would only afford it more protection, and members of the group would vigorously help to ensure such a large fence was maintained to a high standard. As they have stated, health and safety is a major concern and we would not want anyone being injured on a poorly maintained fence."
The group has said it has been concerned for many years about the possibility of building on the site, and earlier this year informal talks were held between Shropshire Council and DBA Estates.
If planning permission is granted, the development will be made up of a variety of houses ranging from two bedroom to five bedroom properties, as well as a new country park.
