Over £10k raised in Newton Abbot amid ‘end game’ fight to protect Wolborough Fen

More than £10,000 has been raised by Newton Abbot environmental campaigners as they prepare for what could be the “end game” for the town’s most controversial building site.

The campaign to save Wolborough Fen is one of the longest-running and most controversial planning disputes in Devon.

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A government inspector will hear an appeal next week (11 February) in an effort to bring the long-running wrangle to an end. 

The dispute centres on how water finds its way into the fen, which is an official Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and home to species found nowhere else in Devon.

Developer Vistry Homes, which is building part of a 1,200-home development on green fields on the outskirts of the town, says the fen is in safe hands and that its work lies outside the catchment area for water flowing into the fen.

Campaigners disagree and say this is the last chance to save the fen from the effects of changes to the way water flows in from development on the hills above. 

They fear the fen will be contaminated and that a priceless wildlife habitat could be lost forever.

Natural England, the government’s statutory nature conservation body, has reviewed data provided by Vistry and says it is satisfied that work can proceed.

However, Devon Wildlife Trust has expressed “significant concerns” about the so-called NA3 housing development and says it has not seen evidence that the site will be protected from damaging changes to its water levels.

Matters came to a head last summer when Teignbridge Council halted work at the site, saying Vistry had overstepped the mark. Work has since restarted.

The government inspector is now expected to examine the issue in full, with a decision aimed at resolving the dispute.

A crowdfunding webpage set up by the group Wolborough Hills to cover legal costs has so far raised £10,483.

A statement on the page says: “The fight for Wolborough Fen SSSI is reaching its conclusion. The appeal hearing is a moment that could shape the future of this precious landscape.”

The statement says the case hinges on the site’s hydrology and concerns raised by Devon Wildlife Trust and the Wolborough Residents’ Association. 

It also argues that Natural England is no longer able to fulfil its basic purpose.

“We urgently need legal representation to stand our ground at the hearing,” the statement says. 

“Facing the largest housebuilder in the UK and their eye-wateringly expensive lawyers is no small task.

“Wolborough Fen is too rare, too fragile, and too important to lose. Protecting this unique site, one of extraordinary ecological value, depends on whether Devon Wildlife Trust and the Wolborough Residents’ Association can be properly represented in what could be the decisive stage of this battle.”

As part of its case for the appeal, the residents’ association has commissioned a report from a hydrogeology and groundwater expert which disputes the findings of Natural England.