HISTORIC woodland which is home to birds, bats and wildlife could be lost forever if developers get their way.

That’s the fear of Browns Lane residents who are battling against plans to widen the access to a 3.4-acre field owned by Jones Homes.

Cheshire East Council rejected the proposal last August over road safety concerns and the resulting loss of a protected tree, but applicant Gemma Pownall has appealed the decision and submitted a second application for the access.

Jones Homes cut down trees and hedges at the front of the field last autumn, and neighbouring resident Jane Carroll fears it could pave the way for further loss of woodland if the access is eventually widened.

She said: “They have stirred up a lot of emotion in Browns Lane.

“The residents are particularly fed up with it.

“It is a bit like a wildlife sanctuary there almost – there is so much building going on round the back of the site, this is almost the final nail in the coffin.

“Where are all those animals going to go?

Knutsford Guardian:

“If we cannot protect that then we don’t stand a chance with any other thing in society.”

After delving into the history books, Jane learned the hedgerow is recorded in the Tithe Map of the area dating back to 1841 and formed part of a field which existed before the Enclosure Act was passed in 1845.

Jane says that the woodland should be protected by the Hedgerow Regulations Act 1997 as a result – while an online petition to protect it has been signed by more than 860 people.

There is also confusion over what the access is needed for.

The original plans suggest the access is needed for a combine harvester – but neighbours insist the field has never been arable – while the appeal documents point towards horses being kept on the land.

Cllr Toni Fox, Residents of Wilmslow member for Dean Row on CEC, fears Jones Homes might want the wider entrance to access the site as a housebuilder in years to come.

She said: “If they want to develop on there then just come out and say it.

“Then we can ensure that the correct treatment is carried out and that safety measures are put in place.”

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A spokesman at Jones Homes said: “Jones Homes owns the land and has undertaken hedge pruning as part of its annual maintenance programme, outside the bird breeding season.

“A planning application is currently being determined, to enable the land to be brought back into beneficial use for agriculture or other sympathetic use.”