Ancient hedgerows on the move

6:00pm Saturday 16th March 2013 in News

PRELIMINARY work to move ancient hedgerows at the first phase of Bicester’s 5,000-home eco town is under way.

Developer A2 Dominion is still in negotiation to buy the land, but was given permission to relocate the hedgerows, which will form part of the development’s boundary.

March is the best time before birds start nesting or there is too much growth on the hedges – some of which are up to 100 years old.

A2 Dominion’s project director Steve Hornblow said usually hedgerows were ripped out when building work started.

He said: “We are in negotiation with the land owners over purchasing the site and going through the legal processes.”

He said maintaining the ancient hedgerows was an “important part” of the development of the entire eco town site, on farmland in North West Bicester.

The hedgerows will be monitored to ensure they survive and extra shrubs will be planted.

Building work at the eco town site is expected to start in late spring or early summer.

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Comments(6)

Myron Blatz says...
7:09pm Sun 17 Mar 13

So, the relocation of ancient hedgerows somehow justifying desicration of the land, to enable the developer to max profits (don't have to build around them) and build houses which will only increase demand to move into that area - not to mention create massive problems with all that land concreted-over and new streets and roads, with nowhere for rain and floodwater to sink away! Then there's the huge effect on sewage, and massive demand for drinking water used in everything from kitchen sinks to toilets, and washing all those cars to watering all those gardens and communal areas. Or, do all these new homes use recycled water and earth-closet toilets, with each house's garden part of the groundwater eco-system, with cars (even electric ones) banned, and people made to use a centralised tramway linked to large, expensive to police communal underground car parks on the outskirts of the devlopment? Somehow makes Milton Keynes or Blackbird Lees seem idyllic!

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Panda69 says...
7:46pm Sun 17 Mar 13

They still haven't bought the land yet? What a joke!

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Myron Blatz says...
12:55am Mon 18 Mar 13

Hmm, well Panda69, maybe the developers are having probs locating all those people wot might actually want 'eco housing' and who used to doss-down at Greenham Common in plastic bags, or finding all them middle-class types who used to drive around the country in old buses and converted horseboxes?

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to ny w says...
10:04am Mon 18 Mar 13

Panda69 wrote:
They still haven't bought the land yet? What a joke!
Perhaps A2Dominion are 'Hedging ' their bets?
Cherwell must be crossing everything they have that they don't run away, but as the only developer in the frame I would trying to drive down the land cost with the Development company who owns the land.
If A2Dominion don't complete on their 'option' agreement or fail to build out the 4 phases of the 394 exemplar site, BaECON's prophesy of a white elephant on Bicester and Bucknell's door step will come true.

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GreenBicester says...
1:10pm Mon 18 Mar 13

Seems odd that an eco-project can include "removing" ancient hedgerows. Seems to me it's against the principle of the thing. Moving hedgerows by definition causes ecological damage.

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to ny w says...
10:03am Thu 21 Mar 13

GreenBicester wrote:
Seems odd that an eco-project can include "removing" ancient hedgerows. Seems to me it's against the principle of the thing. Moving hedgerows by definition causes ecological damage.
You ain't seen half of it yet!!!

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