Despite last year's battle to stop a £400K land sell off by Bristol City Council which resulted in the sale being cancelled I was informed yesterday that a digger was now on site. Bristol City Council tends to ignore notifications and phone calls are never responded to.
In this case I have suggested that any digging starts it should be reported as a wildlife crime since we have no idea how far spread underground setts are and this is cub season. I have removed the exact location for wildlife safety but here are the emails sent out.
Hello.
Despite previously carrying out a survey and informing the relevant members of Bristol City Council that a planned development sell off of land was a long established badger sett area (pre 1970s) and that sell off having been cancelled (knotweed is also prevalent in the area) I was informed on Friday 20th March that a digger had been moved onto the badger area to "excavate foundations for Bristol City Council".
I have contacted BCC (email attached) senior leaders and explained, again, that digging would disturb badgers (how far underground from setts their tunnels run we do not know) especially as it is now cub season. BCC tends to ignore these notifications and I wanted to make sure that other agencies were aware of what is planned.
My thanks in Advance
Terry Hooper
Bristol Badger Group f 1994
Hello.
Last year there was an attempt to sell off land at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx despite the evidence provided by local residents and I submitted the same evidence to BCC. The area also has knotweed.
On Friday 20th March it was reported that a digger had been moved onto the site and the driver when challenged told residents that he was there to "uncover foundations for Bristol City Council "to look at".
I will be forwarding details to Natural England as well as DEFRA to ensure that this activity is noted as I assume that the council has not had any wildlife surveyor check for location of badger setts near to the dig site. Also this is cub season so any such activity can cause great distress to badgers with cubs.
Badgers and their setts (tunnels, chambers, and entrances) are strictly protected in England and Wales under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, making it a criminal offence to damage, destroy, or obstruct access to a sett, or to disturb a badger while it is occupying one.
- Exclusion Zones: As a general rule, a 30-metre buffer zone should be established around active badger setts, where no heavy machinery or excavation work should take place.
- Work Distances:
- < 10m: Only hand tools/light work.
- < 20m: Light machinery/digging.
- < 30m: Very heavy machinery.
I have advised locals that since they and Bristol Badger Group have previously identified the area as a long established badger site and informed Bristol City Council of this that if if any work takes place near to setts it is reported to Avon and Somerset Police as a wildlife crime in progress.
I hope BCC will refrain from any digging work especially in cub season.
Terry Hooper
Bristol Badger Group f 1994
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