Newton Abbot campaigners raise thousands for crucial Wolborough Fen inquiry
Supporters and opponents of a major Newton Abbot housing development will present their cases at a public inquiry examining concerns over the future of Wolborough Fen, one of Devon's rarest and most important wetlands
Campaigners fighting to save a 'priceless' Devon nature reserve have raised more than £30,000 to help fund their legal battle.
A week-long public inquiry will begin in Newton Abbot next week (August 4) on what has been dubbed Devon's most controversial planning issue, with the future of Wolborough Fen at the centre of the battle.
The fen has been a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) since 1990 and is home to species of plants which cannot be found anywhere else in Devon.
Vistry Homes is building homes on a site on the hillside above the fen.
The inquiry centres on the way water drains from the building site, which forms part of the huge NA3 development bringing 1,200 new homes to an area on the outskirts of Newton Abbot.
Supporters of the project say it will deliver much-needed new homes for the town, while developers insist the fen is safe in their hands.
Vistry says water draining from its development site will not make its way into the fen, but objectors, including the Wolborough Residents Association, fear that it will and that rare plants could be put at risk.
The Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) agrees, but the government's watchdog, Natural England, says it is satisfied the fen is not at risk.
The inquiry opens on Tuesday, August 4, at Forde House in Newton Abbot and will also be broadcast online.
It will hear three appeals, the most contentious of which involves Vistry Devon South West and the measures it has proposed to protect the fen.
Because a decision was not made by Teignbridge Council within the statutory timescale, Vistry has lodged an appeal against non-determination.
The DWT will challenge the drainage proposals, arguing they could put the fen at serious risk.
At an earlier hearing, a government inspector said he had never known a case where the two sides in the argument were so far apart.
The Wolborough Residents Association has raised more than £32,000 through its crowdfunder to help pay for legal advice and expert evidence for the public inquiry, and is urging the public to back the DWT's fight.
The trust says the fen, which was designated an official nature reserve in 1970, is one of Devon's most important wetlands and one of the finest remaining valley fens in south-west England.
It describes the site as "a wetland mosaic habitat unique in our area", where "the plant communities often defy standard categorisation". The fen is the last remaining site in Devon for rare saw-sedges and supports an abundance of insects, birds and other wildlife.
"Once damaged, these complex wetland habitats are impossible to restore," the trust says.
"Once the underlying hydrological supporting conditions are lost, then so are the habitats."
In a statement, the trust said: "Devon Wildlife Trust recognises the importance of providing homes for local communities.
“The key question is whether the developer has demonstrated, with sufficient evidence, that the proposed mitigation measures will fully protect Wolborough Fen and prevent irreversible harm to this nationally important wetland."