Protesters furious with deal to sell important wildlife site
IPSWICH: Furious protesters are today preparing to challenge the decision of borough leaders to sell a significant wildlife site for development.
Ipswich Borough Council has voted to sell the 11-acre site at Kiln Meadow, on the edge of Pinewood.
The site is sandwiched between Spring Meadow and Bobbits Lane nature reserve.
It is home to the largest recorded colony of toads in the country, according to wildlife experts.
But despite opposition from the Ipswich Wildlife Group, which is backed by other wildlife organisations including the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, the council has agreed to sell the land to a developer.
The plans are for 170 homes to be built on the site.
Deputy leader John Carnall said the sale was vital in order to facilitate the council’s work to repair and invest in important buildings in the town.
Most Read
- 1 Fuel protests: Twelve miles of queues reported on A12
- 2 Man in 40s stabbed at town centre multi-storey car park
- 3 15 of the best photos from Ipswich Music Day 2022
- 4 Keys secured as 'Goliath' £1.2m needed to restore burned down church
- 5 Interactive map reveals the Suffolk neighbourhoods with highest Covid rates
- 6 Road closed and person trapped in car after crash
- 7 Jailed in June: The Suffolk criminals locked up last month
- 8 Travellers pitch up at park in Ipswich
- 9 Man order to sign sex offenders' registers for possessing indecent images
- 10 Macauley Bonne: Town is not a closed book... I've got unfinished business
“We believe we have struck a very good compromise and �1million of the money we get for the land will be set aside for new environmental projects all over the town.”
But Jen Jousiffe, of the Ipswich Wildlife Group, said campaigners were “absolutely furious” because they believe the decision was taken without the council listening to the views and advice from wildlife experts.
Ms Jousiffe said: “We feel the council have a duty to protect wildlife, habitats and species.”
