Leazes Park is not the only green space under threat in Newcastle.

Wildlife in and around Havannah Nature Reserve is under threat from plans to remove trees and install street lighting.

The current plans would see the nature reserve carved up and lit up with artificial light at night, which is known to have an adverse effect on nocturnal wildlife.

The nature reserve is home to several protected species and is supposedly protected by local and national planning policies, but has already been hemmed in by overdevelopment in Newcastle Great Park.

These plans would be the final nail in the coffin for local wildlife and set a very dangerous precedent.  

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition against the plans: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/hands-off-havannah

But we need direct objections to Newcastle City Council.

If you want to save nature reserves in Newcastle, please email your concerns to planning.control@newcastle.gov.uk quoting 2022/1131/01/DET 

Some points to include:

·             Plans, if approved, would result in further loss of trees and scrub in and around Havannah Nature Reserve and along the Letch, both of which were supposed to be protected and enhanced as part of Newcastle Great Park developments

·             Street lights in the nature reserve would drive further biodiversity loss, particularly declines in bats and invertebrates, whose behaviour is adversely affected by artificial light at night. Of particular concern would be the impact on a rare micro moth Alder Signaller Moth Stathmopoda pedella 

·             The plans contravene multiple local and national policies to protect the Green Belt, trees and landscaping, wildlife corridors and designated nature conservation sites (DM26, DM28, DM29, DM31, CS18, CS19, NN4, NPPF Sections 13, 14, 15).

·             The plans undermine Newcastle City Council’s legal duty under the Environment Act (2021) to conserve and enhance biodiversity

·             The Ouseburn and Letch form part of a wider network of habitat and provide functional links for commuting, dispersing and foraging wildlife but the Ouseburn wildlife corridor is gradually being carved up to make way for unnecessary development

·             Protected species have already been lost and displaced as a result of overdevelopment, including otters, bats, badgers, water voles, red squirrels, water shrew, brown hare

·             Havannah Nature Reserve is mapped as an area of particular importance for biodiversity in the North of Tyne Local Nature Recovery Strategy and would be adversely affected by this development 

·             The plans would increase anti-social behaviour and littering in a designated nature conservation area