Housebuilder 'proud' of its pledge to safeguard welfare of stone-curlews and other scarce wildlife

 

Unlikely bedfellows - Persimmon Homes and stone-curlews

BRITAIN'S largest housebuilder, Persimmon Homes, has pledged to safeguard the welfare of rare stone-curlews which live near the site of a proposed 139-property development.

The Wryneck is not naming the location to save alerting unscrupulous egg collectors, but planning consent was granted in November last year.

Before proceeding, the company says it will create a 2.33-hectare off-site habitat chiefly for the stone-curlews but potentially also for other scarce birds, such as woodlarks and nightjars, plus seldom-seen reptiles.

Says a Persimmon spokesperson: "We are proud of this project and its likely ecological benefits.

"The site will be managed in perpetuity for the stone curlews and other wildlife." 

Natural England initially objected to the project, but its concerns seem to have been allayed by the proposed mitigation.

The off-site habitat will be on land adjacent to an existing Site of Special Scientific Interest.

* Photo, via Wikimedia Commons, taken in Italy by Francesco Venonesi