Green light to demolish part of protected wood for housing scheme slammed: Co Down development on 'irreplaceable habitat' okayed by planners, despite previous rejection
Planners have been slammed for okaying a scheme to rip up part of a protected Co Down wood and build houses over it.
Tullynagardy Wood on the outskirts of Newtownards is home to a host of protected trees, but a proposal to construct a housing development on more than one-third of the site has been given a thumbs-up by officials in Ards and North Down Council.
A final decision will be made by councillors next week, but the verdict from planners has outraged the Woodland Trust, who describe the move as “threatening an irreplaceable habitat”.
Surveys have stated that the oldest trees in Tullynagardy have been there for around 200 years, and there are tree protection orders on the site.
The council’s tree enforcement officer, Kylie Reid, concluded that while some trees will be lost to make way for the five-home development, it “is not extensive and new tree planting is proposed” so the project would be acceptable.
Disagreeing was the Woodland Trust’s public affairs manager, Paul Armstrong, who said: “Once woodlands like Tullynagardy are lost, their unique ecosystems and heritage are gone forever.
“We can plant new trees, but we can never recreate ancient or long-established woodland.
“It is vital not only that this planning application is refused, but also that legislation is strengthened to better protect our oldest and most significant trees and woodlands from ongoing threats like development.”
Arguments put forward on behalf of developers WJ Law include that the main area for the development is a clearing inside the wood, repeatedly seeking to draw a division between it and parts of Tullynagardy that have heavier tree coverage, and that the site as a whole is “undeveloped land” surrounded by suburban houses.
The site is in private hands, but much loved by local residents such as Terry Lyons. He says nearby householders, around 30 of whom objected to the development, are “shocked and appalled” by planners giving the housing project a green light.
“This is a rare, precious and irreplaceable ancient woodland,” he said. “Like our council, we all want to be proud of our borough; we want them to set an example of caring for this small part of a world.
“What sort of a message will building houses in an ancient woodland send out to the people of Ards and North Down, and beyond?”
A similar five-home plan was blocked in 2006, as the wood was then considered to be part of the protected green belt. Since then, planning rules governing the area have been redrafted and it’s now listed as within the development limits of Newtownards town. “As such, the policy concerns that led to the 2006 refusal no longer apply,” say planners in reports seen by the News Letter.
Officials state that while the wood is “a visually and environmentally significant resource”, only “a portion of this wooded area” will be built over; they also point that Northern Ireland’s provincewide planning legislation, which is several decades old, says that projects within settlement limits should be allowed as long as they comply with policies.
Councillors get a final vote on the Tullynagardy Wood project next week. Potentially, they could block the housing project, but it’s rare for politicians to go against the advice of their planning officials.