The Northern Correspondent has published a story on the disappearing green belt in Newcastle, including the loss of woodland at Woolsington. If you thought things couldn’t get any worse for Newcastle’s red squirrels, there is a further assault on Newcastle’s wildlife in the pipeline. An application for outline planning permission for approximately 462 homes directly opposite Havannah Nature Reserve in Hazlerigg – just a short distance from Woolsington Woods – has been submitted by Banks Property. Havannah Nature Reserve has been cited as one of the three – now two – remaining areas in Newcastle to support red squirrels and currently has a thriving population of this protected species. Save Newcastle Wildlife is objecting to the proposals as the development constitutes a threat to the reserve’s diverse flora and fauna and could herald the end of the last urban population of the UK-endangered red squirrel. Great Crested Newts also breed in Havannah Nature Reserve and ecological surveys are unable to rule out the presence of this legally protected species at the development site. The development constitutes an indirect threat to one of only two lowland heathlands in Newcastle. Lowland heathland is a priority for nature conservation because it is a rare and threatened habitat. The Dingy Skipper butterfly, a species facing high risk of extinction in the wild, is also known to thrive in Havannah Nature Reserve. The proposed addition of up to 500 homes in such close proximity will see a steep rise in disturbance from human activity and increased footfall and predation from domestic cats and dogs within the reserve will have a hugely detrimental impact on this unique habitat and its wildlife. This application is for outline planning permission, which suggests there is no immediate need for building in this site. Newcastle City Council’s local plan has already seen the biggest overall percentage loss of green belt and we believe that caution must be exercised before granting permission for such a high density development in an area only recently removed from the green belt, when there are more suitable brownfield sites. The deadline for objections is Tuesday 22nd December 2015. You can email objections to planning.control@newcastle.gov.uk quoting application number 2015/1665/01/OUT or submit comments online at https://publicaccessapplications.newcastle.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=NXLJWFBS0EQ00 In the meantime we have emailed Newcastle City Council to query what appears to be a felled tree within the Woolsington Estate. All the trees are covered by Tree Preservation Orders. We are still awaiting a response regarding the amended conditions and the request to Newcastle City Council and Historic England for their collaborative action to establish the current situation at Woolsington Hall.