|
|
|
||||||||
Stanley Green Pond Watch Group has been set up to support the preservation of the ponds and surrounding area at Stanley Green, Cheadle Hulme, for the benefit of the wild creatures and plants which depend on this habitat for their survival.
Please e-mail anything you would like to add to this page to:
The ponds at Stanley Green are home to a diversity of wildlife. In particular, they are a breeding area for great crested newts, a protected species whose numbers are threatened. Ponds have already been relocated during the construction of the A34 by-pass. The new ponds need time to become established and the newts need to be left in peace.
A planning application for a McDonalds near the Stanley Green roundabout, which would have included widening Stanley Road and encroaching on the newts' habitat, has already been turned down. Now developers have put in another application for road widening, which again seeks to cut into the species rich hedgerow and woodland near the ponds.
Anglers have gained access to other local ponds and have introduced fish, which have made it impossible for newts to breed. The Stanley Green ponds, shielded by trees and shrubs, are hidden from the road, providing a safe haven for the newts as well as the birds and mammals which inhabit the area. Any disturbance could result in the great crested newt quickly becoming extinct in Cheadle Hulme.
Excerpt from Stockport's Action Plan for Nature - Standing Open Water Habitat Statement:
"Ponds are particularly important for many scare species of plant, invertebrate and amphibian, including the internationally protected great crested newt."
Stockport's Action Plan for Nature - Management objectives:
1. To prevent any further unnecessary loss of waterbodies and adjacent terrestrial habitat.
2. To survey and record all waterbodies of biodiversity interest.
3. To ensure that there exists a diversity of waterbodies at various stages of succession and seasonality.
Stockport's Action Plan for Nature - Target species for this habitat:
(Amphibians) great crested newt, smooth newt, palmate newt, common frog, common toad.
Excerpt from Stockport's Action Plan for Nature - Boundary Features Habitat Statement (Managenent objectives)
"To identify boundary features of high nature conservation interest and prevent any further loss or degradation"
What can you do to make your feelings known about this issue?
1) Check Planning Applications (currently no. DC004189) at Cheadle Hulme Information Centre.
2) Write to the Planning Department at Stockport Town Hall with your views.
3) Join our list of supporters.
To add your name to our list of supporters and to receive future newsletters please e-mail your details to: SGPWG@aol.com together with any comments or information which you would like us to include in a future newsletter or on our website. |
The plans to widen Stanley Road into the newt's terrain have been altered to include a bus stop, taking even more land. The amended plans can be seen at Cheadle Hulme information office. (Application no. DC004414)
The application is to be considered by the local Area Committee on 31st July beginning at 6pm at the Cheshire Suite, County Hotel , Bramhall. The public may attend and speak at this meeting. (tel area coordinator 0161 474 3208 to confirm and obtain info on asking questions)
Update 31.7.01:
At the above meeting, the Planning sub-committee recommended the refusal of the planning application including the road widening proposal. Mrs Pat Theaker drew again on her skill and experience as a solicitor and spoke cogently and to the point against the proposal. Local councillors stressed the importance of conserving the area around the ponds and the bio-diversity which depends on them. This decision has yet to be ratified; it will be discussed at a meeting of Highways and Planning Committee at the Town Hall on 20th August, (please check to confirm) which members of the public may attend to witness the proceedings but will not have the opportunity to speak. In the meantime, thanks to all who have expressed their support over this issue, who have written letters and telephoned the Planning Department to express their views or attended the Planning Meeting , and in particular to Julian Whitehurst (Cheshire Wildlife Trust,) and Roger English (Stockport Nature Network) for their invaluable contribution in putting a great deal of time and effort into carrying out a survey of the newt population and writing reports.
Update April 2002
The developers were given time to produce a mitigation plan, but as far as we are aware they have failed to do so within the time available. AZ** zxN xdal, fal, for a golf driving range in the vicinity, was withdrawn after it had been pointed out that to comply with current legislation, an ecological survey would have to be carried out, at considerable cost to the developers.
Follow these links:
ACTION PLAN FOR THE GREAT CRESTED NEWT (Triturus cristatus (Laurenti, 1768) with photo
Pond Photos: http://members.aol.com/sgpwg/pondpics.html
Drawings courtesy of artist Chet Gottfried:
http://www.lookoutnow.com/index.html
See Chet's newest newt cartoons:
http://www.lookoutnow.com/newts.htm