We've made the news again! The Newcastle Chronicle has reported on the letter we sent to the Secretary of State asking him to overrule Newcastle City Council's decision to grant permission for the Woolsington applications or instigate a public inquiry to enable proper scrutiny, as much of the information was made publicly available late in the day or is yet to materialise. We must keep our fight to save our woodland in the public eye. The destruction of our green spaces and wildlife habitats is becoming a recurring theme across the country and we must strive to counteract this attack. According to the council ecologist, 1,509 trees will be lost across the site. The developer’s estimate is considerably less – just one of the many discrepancies arising from the planning applications. The woodland has a large population of native elm trees and it is likely that the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly, which is of high conservation importance, is present as it breeds on various elm species of which there is an abundance in Woolsington. Several other protected species such as badgers, barn owls, bats, otters and of course the endangered red squirrel rely on the site and the trees are covered by tree preservation orders. The area was only recently approved as part of the city’s green infrastructure and is a vital wildlife corridor. This is a special habitat that deserves protection. Let’s not lose it to a cash-strapped council and a grasping developer with no evidence to back up the claims that this destruction is necessary to fund the restoration of a listed building left neglected for years.