The findings draw upon insights from the newly published Local Nature Recovery Strategy which illustrates how the area is a ‘nature superhighway’ that facilitates the movement of wildlife between the Peak District National Park and the Cheshire Plain. The land hosts an extensive woodland and grassland network that provides shelter and foraging for rare birds of prey such as the barn owl, hobby and peregrine falcon.
Dr Rachel Giles from Cheshire Wildlife Trust said:
“Adlington is completely the wrong place to be building a new town as the area is an essential part of Cheshire’s nature network. A development of this size and scale would strangle what is essentially a ‘nature superhighway’, potentially leading to wildlife populations in Warrington and Knutsford being cut off from those in the Peak District. The reality is, when wildlife becomes isolated, it is at risk of local extinction.”
The report also highlights Adlington’s cultural and historical significance. It references how the Adlington Estate is included in the Doomsday Book and how its landscape of woodland, tall hedges, small irregular fields and ancient ridge and furrow are a surviving legacy of Anglo-Saxon and medieval farming practices.
Dr Giles added,
“Adlington’s importance for nature lies in its history. For the past millennia, the landscape has seen an unusual amount of stability. The historic parklands and networks of small fields have remained largely unchanged from the days when hunting and falconry were common, meaning the wildlife here has had over a thousand years to establish itself. We have records of over 70 red and amber listed bird species in the area which show that this land is of high conservation value. Losing this ancient landscape would be a huge blow for both our wildlife and our heritage.”
The Trust is working hard with local campaigners and elected representatives to ensure that the New Town proposal does not make the Government shortlist in the spring. The report has been circulated to all Cheshire East councillors. For more information, visit cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/adlington
