Ongoing floods leave parts of reserve impassable
SuppliedAreas of a nature reserve are being left impassable for large parts of the year due to ongoing floods, a council has said.
Hazlerigg Parish Council said it was made aware of the issue at Havannah Nature Reserve, near Newcastle, in 2022.
Save Newcastle Wildlife said building work on the Cell A development in Great Park contributed to the floods and called for appropriate drainage to be put in place.
Developers Great Park Consortium said it had "voluntarily committed to fund and deliver" design changes to help ease the flooding.
"We would also like to reassure members of the local community that we continue to work closely with Newcastle City Council and other involved parties, to ensure that improved flood mitigation measures will be put in place as soon as possible," a spokesperson said.
The development will include up to 1,200 homes and two new schools.
Great Park Consortium said parts of the nature reserve had experienced "historic flooding" and fencing was later installed to prevent pedestrian access.
However, Save Newcastle Wildlife said almost 3,000m of hedgerow, which can reduce flooding risk, had been removed as part of the scheme and mitigating infrastructure was not "prioritised".
Supplied"Newcastle Great Park Consortium has, yet again, evidenced its lack of regard for the local environment and the local community, by failing to prioritise the necessary infrastructure to mitigate for their latest development," a spokesperson said.
"Furthermore, Newcastle City Council appears reluctant to take any enforcement action, which is why we are seeing the grassland under water and areas of the reserve impassable for significant periods of time."
The consortium said removed hedgerow was being replaced in line with planning conditions.
It added that flooding incidents increased following the construction of a northern buffer mound, but the consortium had committed to design changes, which would enable water to pass through the mound and into the Newcastle Great Park land, "helping to alleviate the issue".
The city council said the development included a drainage system designed to prevent flooding happening off the site.
It added that parts of the reserve "do become waterlogged in winter".
"This is not unusual in heavy clay soil areas and can be beneficial to some wildlife," the local authority said.
The parish council said it was told the issue would be resolved by the spring.
"The flooding has resulted in large areas of the nature reserve being impassable for large parts of the year, with people being forced to walk in areas that are fenced off to prevent public access usually to protect wildlife habitats," a spokesperson said.
"It is having a knock-on effect on important habitats and species in the nature reserve and preventing public access to the formal routes."
The city council also said it was "working closely" with developers to ensure the development was "a sustainable place for residents to live".
