What will happen to the former Butterfly and Wildlife Park in Long Sutton?

Our letter writer raises concerns about what will happen if a prominent Long Sutton site is developed...

The former site of the Butterfly and Wildlife Park in Long Sutton has sat neglected for years and nature has reclaimed it.

It has become a wonderful haven for wildlife. Those of us who have witnessed its ‘rewilding’ have shared our experiences and sightings of what has been seen over the course of a year, not a few hours, which is what happens when an ‘ecology report’ is done.

The site now boasts a family of badgers. We have seen muntjac and roe deer, rabbits, hares, squirrels and weasels, foxes, moles, harvest mice, partridge, pheasants and even woodcock.

Bats can be seen flying in the warm evenings, along with barn owls coursing the ground, while the hoot of a tawney owl can sometimes be heard among the trees.

A whole variety of birds have nested there, ranging from bullfinch to buzzards and marsh harriers, as well as various species of titmice, and array of finches as well as woodpeckers.

After torrential rain, a pond can be found in the remains of the ancient orchard, providing a brief home for frogs and newts which we imagine disappear into the surrounding leaf mould when it drains away.

Some years ago, permission was granted to have 87 ‘exceptional’ houses built on site.

Developers will no doubt argue they now need 100 or more, without the inclusion of the ‘exceptional’ to make it financially viable.

The sights and sounds of the incumbent wildlife will be buried beneath concrete and replaced by the roar of cars and motorbikes that will choke an increasingly busy road with far, far more traffic than existed when permission was granted for the 87 houses.

A concerned Roman Bank resident

Long Sutton