This beautiful area of woodland just seconds away from where I live and release rehabilitated wild hedgehogs (that have been nursed back to health in my hedgehog hospital) is threatened with destruction by housing.
A developer has applied for planning permission to build 14 new homes, which would completely destroy the woodland. It is one of the only woodland areas in Acomb in York. It is a vital green corridor linking the mature gardens here with open fields and hedgerows nearby. I have been releasing hedgehogs here for many years.
The woodland is identified as 'green belt' in the previous and current draft Local Plans and as a 'site of special interest for local nature conservation' but York has never had its Local Plan approved.
There are plenty of brownfield sites for development in York. We do need more homes in the city but building on green belt land like this will further delay building on the brownfield sites and will open the floodgates for further similar developments.
The woodland is home to a variety of trees, plants and wildlife including hedgehogs, bats, owls, frogs and newts. The development will completely destroy this woodland and its wild inhabitants.
By signing this petition, you are asking the City of York Council to reject planning permission on this site and to instead invest its resources in developing the plentiful brownfield sites in the city.
The deadline for objections to the development is 11 September so I need as many signatures as possible by the 10 September in order to present this to the Council with my objection letter.
