Navigation

Email

If you have any info, just want to contact us or would like to know more about supporting our cause just click on the envelope

The Fight to Save the Meadow

The group was set up to try to stop this planned development, and to keep a watchful eye on future developments that may not be in the best interests of the local community.

As we were too late to object to the planning department about the development, and the building work was due to commence on the 14th January 2000, it was agreed as a group to take direct action and move onto the site.

We hoped that this action would delay the development and highlight the feelings of the local residents.

We had a meeting with a Mr. Bird from Sanctuary Housing. He agreed that he would investigate our concerns, and stated that he would postpone the start date for the development. He also added that he would inform us, if and when, we were required to vacate the site.

With this agreement, we stayed on the meadow believing that we had the permission of the owner. The Meadow became a drop in center for supporters of the Braunton Residents Group.

During this time we were also fighting the development of the "Velator Link Road" which came to a halt after the council took the chairman of the group to court. Click the link for more information.

The reprieve was short lived as two of the group were served with a possession order, by the owners. This was not Sanctuary Housing, as we believed but Vernon-Carus, the owners of Brannoc Fibres.

This was slightly confusing as we believed that the land was originally owned by the North Devon District Council, as it was marked as amenity land on the Braunton local plan.

The local plan shows that BWC118 is amenity land owned by the council, this plan was adopted in 1995, however, the Land Registry records state that Vernon -Carus own the sections BWC118, BWC113 and BWC112, all of which are indicated on this plan as being owned by the Council. And they wonder why we are asking questions!

The day before the court appearance the North Devon Journal printed another map still showing that the council owned that land, albeit a modified map showing the area where the planned development will be. If NDDC or Sanctuary housing owned the land why were Vernon-Carus taking people to court, 

The courts granted the possession order on the 3rd of February and the squatters moved out.

Through writing letters to various wildlife organizations, we found that it is illegal to destroy areas where birds are nesting. We passed the information on to the council, the developers, the builders and our local wildlife officer.

The developers had a survey carried out which stated that there were no new nests present, the surveyor must have been short sighted.

On Saturday the 18th March 2000 the Bulldozers started to dig up the meadow, the residents took action to stop this and again managed to get a stay of execution, however if the developers were following the law, and the council followed their own guidelines, this development would not take place.

The law obviously does not have to be abided by if you have money or power.

On Tuesday 21st March 2000, the Police escorted the Bulldozer up the Tarka Trail, the protesters tried to hold up the proceedings, so as to give the Wildlife Liaison Officer time to check out their claims that there were active nests on the site.

However we were unable to convince the police that the driver of the bulldozer would kill nesting birds if he cleared the site.

  The site before clearance.

The police allowed the bulldozer to enter the site, and start clearing it. As you may have read in the local press five women were arrested. we cannot discuss this at this point but the outcome of their trial will be posted.

The bulldozer was not supposed to clear the site without the developers first fencing off a 7 metre wildlife strip around the whole of the site, it is also an offence under the wildlife act of 1981, to disturb birds once they have started to build their nests.

The site after clearance

The developers did not clear the site properly and the birds have started nesting again in the spoil heaps.

The pictures below show the various nests that have been found on the meadow, before and after the clearance.

The evidence is plain to see.

No further work was carried out after the initial clearance of the site, and we would have to ask why they went into the meadow to clear it, destroying nests, eggs and killing young birds if they had no intention of starting the building work.

 On the 8th September 2000 all the charges against the five women were dropped, as yet no action has been taken against the developers, for their action in March. 

Unless we are able to raise a substantial amount of money to take out a civil action, no action will be taken, and yet another miscarriage of justice will have taken place.

Our initial aim was to protect the wildlife, the historic hedgerow and the meadow as a whole, which is the last natural green space in Braunton.

We also pointed out that the meadow is a flood plain, none of the councillors could remember the meadow flooding, but flood protection would be put in place.

Where will all this water go.

We have never been against building houses, but let's make sure that they are sited sensibly!

The site as it stands now 20/09/2000