Please can anyone tell me the rules behind a housing estate being built on a site which is used by Red Kites for hunting and am pretty certain they are nesting near by.
Any advice would be helpful as we are trying to oppose the planning permission being granted.
Thanks
You could try your local bird club to see if they are objecting but as Alan says doubtful if you can do much unless it was in the nesting area.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
I'm pretty certain that you won't be able to fight planning permission because Red Kites use an area (if houses are built they will almost certainly continue to use the area once built on - you often see them low over existing towns in areas where they are present).
Even if they are nesting on the site where the development is planned I would expect that the only restriction would probably be that work could not be carried out while the nest was occupied.
If you want to oppose the development on the grounds of wildlife you will need to find out what else has been recorded there (try your local natural history society). Unfortunately, unless the habitat is particularly unusual this is unlikely to be more than a minor consideration - but if there is good biodiversity on the site it might help to swing a decision if there are also other factors that help make a case against a development.
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