Topsham residents fear new housing will 'disrupt' migrating birds

Topsham residents fighting a new housing development in the town say they fear the building project will disturb migrating birds using a nearby nature reserve.

Local firm Salter Property has consulted local people on plans to build 76 homes at Mays Field, and intends to submit a formal planning application soon.

The company says its homes will ‘celebrate the rich history of Topsham while delivering much-needed, sustainable new housing’. And, it says, the development will have a ‘green and open’ character.

But opponents in the village cite concerns from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) over the possible effect of a development which is a stone’s throw from the charity’s Bowling Green Marsh reserve.

Feathered visitors there include Siberian brent geese, osprey, wigeon, teal, avocet and black-tailed godwit.

James Hancock of the Mays Action Group said: “We share the RSPB’s concerns for the local wildlife if this development is allowed to proceed.”

The proposed site lies within the Topsham Conservation Area and is also designated in the emerging Exeter City Local Plan as an area which should not get ‘inappropriate development’.

An RSPB spokesperson said migrating and over-wintering birds such as those visiting the nature reserve are highly sensitive to disturbance and rely on undisturbed feeding and roost sites in the Exe Estuary.

The spokesperson added: “Disturbance of any kind poses a major problem.”

Mr Hancock went on: “It is essential that the bird reserve remains protected for its significant environmental importance and also because it lies within an accessible green space where people of all ages can engage with nature – close up and for free.

“The thousands of visitors who come here to experience this amazing natural resource each year are key contributors to the local economy. The area is widely revered as one of Devon’s most diverse, accessible and valuable assets, one that makes the nearby City of Exeter so special.”

Mays Action Group has also raised concerns over traffic, access and flooding at the site, and says the proposed development is ‘unwanted and harmful’.

Salter Property has spent two years developing the plans, and displayed them during a public exhibition in Topsham in December. It says 35 per cent of the homes will be affordable for people with a local connection.

The company has been involved in recent housing projects at Lympstone and Woodbury. It says the Mays Field project includes providing public access to woodland areas and community spaces