With increasing pressure from development and the growing impact of climate change, fighting to save important wildlife habitat can seem like a thankless task. However, occasionally, we’re involved in a fight that reminds us just how much people care – and of the power of people standing up for what they believe in.

Plans for a quarry at Mill Hill, Barton in Fabis, were first mooted back in 2014. A planning application was submitted in 2017. Since then, we have stood shoulder to shoulder with the SAVE campaign, an amazing group of dedicated, informed and inspirational residents. The group have worked incredibly hard to keep the fight to save their cherished local landscape alive at every turn.

Given that we care for several former sand and gravel quarries, including Attenborough Nature Reserve, some might find it strange that we have spent the last decade opposing plans for a quarry on the opposite bank of the River Trent.

Whilst sand and gravel extraction in the right location can play an important role in restoring nature, this application, despite tweaks and modifications, remains one of the worst minerals applications we’ve dealt with. Our key concerns relate to the fact that the area marked for extraction borders two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); our own Attenborough Nature Reserve and Holme Pit and will impact seven Local Wildlife Sites (LWS). Many rare and threatened species will be affected,  with the loss of habitat such as hedgerows. Quarrying will damage and destroy existing high-quality wildlife habitat on the basis of vague and unacceptably slow habitat restoration plans which could take a generation to materialise. This is simply not acceptable in the face of a nature and climate crisis.

In terms of the Attenborough Nature Reserve SSSI, there are concerns about the impacts such as noise disturbing wildlife at the reserve (and affecting the experience of visitors). We are also worried about the potential impact on the reserve’s waterbird populations, the reason it was designated a SSSI, due to loss of vital grazing as adjacent fields are dug out and (eventually) replaced with open water. These struggling populations need a mix of habitat to survive and thrive, and loss of grazing could be devastating.

No let up

When the applicant withdrew the original proposal in 2022 there was a collective sigh of relief, but knew the fight would continue. SAVE have done a brilliant job of keeping people informed and motivated to act – especially since a new application was submitted in 2024.

We believe that the huge community response played a key role in the decision by Nottinghamshire County Council to reject the application in December 2025 – but the applicant appealed and their appeal will be heard in May 2027.

Whilst this fight does feel like a never-ending game of ‘whack a mole’, if you’ll excuse the reference, it also serves as a timely reminder of the capacity of local campaigning to keep complex planning issues in the public eye and to mobilise positive action.

The power of collective action

Although Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust remains the only wildlife charity involved in all aspects of local planning – from commenting on Local Plans to raising objections to individual planning applications, it is only rarely that we get to be part of such a sustained and creative local campaign like the one mounted by SAVE. Although this type of fight is in our DNA – stretching back to the campaign to save what is now Attenborough Nature Reserve from becoming a dumping ground for ash from the proposed power station at Radcliffe-on-Soar - in recent years such fights have been few and far between.

Standing so often as what can feel like a lone voice for wildlife can be demoralising, but involvement in campaigns such as the one that stopped a huge waste incinerator being built in the heart of Sherwood Forest in 2011 and defeating plans for fracking of shale gas at Misson are hugely motivating. They also underline the impact that collective action can have.

Although the appeal doesn’t trigger a new round of public consultation, the SAVE campaign are gathering signatures via group letters highlighting issues including impact on nature and reduced access to the countryside.

They are determined to beat the 1300 supporters they mobilised during the application process and have just secured an extension until Nov 17th – so we promised to share details of their latest action and would urge anyone who shares their (and our) concerns about the application to sign up.

It seems ironic that as we continue to mark the 60th anniversary of the creation of Attenborough Nature Reserve in 1966 following the local fight to save it from a threat on the opposite bank of the Trent that we are once again fighting such a threat. This time, however, the threat comes from directly across the river.