Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, which this year celebrates 60 years of standing up for the county’s wild species and habitats, has praised the swift action of gardeners from Buttercup Allotments off Asher Lane, Ruddington, who recently halted the removal of a large section of their mature boundary hedge by contractors working on a neighbouring development – and is urging people across Notts to lookout for similar habitat destruction.

Each year, the charity receives numerous reports of hedgerow clearance on development sites and clearance of vital habitat such as scrub on parks and public greenspaces at the height of the bird nesting season – but fears that these reports are just the tip of the iceberg.

Whilst the hedgerow removal in Ruddington appears to be a mistake – the Trust believes that there are cases where developers remove habitat to avoid construction delays. The charity is also investigating reports of the unauthorised removal of an entire small woodland on a development site elsewhere in the county.

Speaking about the problem, Head of Nature Recovery Wayne Ball said: “Whilst unauthorised and poorly timed removal of hedgerows and scrub has always been an issue, the number of cases brought to our attention over the past few years is worrying. Wildlife habitat being damaged and destroyed at the worst possible time of year – whilst governments across the world, including the UK Government, have committed to put nature into recovery is simply not acceptable. Given that we will inevitably only hear about a fraction of cases, we fear that much more habitat is being destroyed across Notts and this can’t be allowed to continue.”

Removing hedgerows, trees and scrub during the nesting season can be devastating and should be avoided wherever possible. Many bird species, such as the turtle dove, are under threat and huge numbers of birds migrate to the UK each spring to breed. Destroying hedgerows and scrub habitat at the time they are most likely to be nesting can have a significant impact on populations. Whilst the impact on nesting birds can be devastating, it can also impact on species such as bats, hedgehogs, amphibians and reptiles.

Wayne continued: “Reports of hedgerow and scrub removal associated with development sites are very upsetting.  People are often unsure who to report such matters to and come to us for advice - but when people believe that habitat is being destroyed whilst birds are actually nesting, we would urge them to contact the police as a criminal offence may be being committed under the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981). Queries about planning permissions should be directed to the local Planning Authority.”

Last year, in its report Transforming our towns and city for people & nature, the Trust highlighted that only two of Nottinghamshire's eight Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) employed ecologists to help guide planning decisions. The charity believes that all Local Planning Authorities should have access to qualified ecologists to ensure planning decisions are fully informed. The Trust also believes that LPAs need more resources to monitor and enforce planning conditions.

Wayne added: “We are facing an ecological and climate emergency. Many of Nottinghamshire's wild places such as woodlands, wildflower meadows and wetlands have been lost and what remains is in ever more isolated pockets.  Species such as turtle dove are at risk of being lost altogether from our county and we need people to speak up to say enough is enough.   We recognise that LPAs are under huge pressure and have limited resources, but the we find ways to prevent this type of habitat loss before it is too late.