Claydons wildlife protection plans paused over budget shortfall
Natural England had been working with the BBOWT over the last few years to protect a rare bat species discovered locally
Natural England has paused its plans to designate an area south of the Claydons in Buckinghamshire as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), citing budgetary constraints.
The decision halts a multi-year effort led by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) to secure formal protections for an ecologically significant area that includes habitat for the rare Bechstein’s bat.
SSSIs are a key mechanism for conserving the UK’s most ecologically or geologically valuable sites.
These designations provide legal safeguards against damaging developments and guide land management practices to enhance biodiversity.
The area under consideration includes parts of Bernwood Forest, a former royal hunting forest with remnants of ancient woodland supporting vulnerable species.
The proposed Bernwood SSSI had been a focal point of BBOWT’s ongoing project to reconnect the Bernwood, Otmoor and Ray landscapes.
The Trust received ÂŁ500,000 last year to lead this initiative, which aims to restore ecological connectivity between fragmented habitats through woodland expansion and habitat mosaics.
Natural England informed BBOWT that work on the proposed designation must be paused due to funding limitations.
As a result, the area surrounding BBOWT’s Finemere Wood nature reserve is now subject to a planning application for a large-scale solar farm, in addition to ongoing impacts from the HS2 rail project.
The reserve would be situated between these two developments.
BBOWT Chief Executive, Estelle Bailey, said: "You would be hard pressed to find a better current example than this of the disparity between the priority given to environmental protections and the priority given to damaging infrastructure.
"Our team has been working closely with amazing colleagues at Natural England to provide greater protections to an area already severely impacted by HS2. We are sure that the hard-working staff at Natural England are just as disappointed as we are that this important work has been stopped given the huge amount of time and energy they have put into it.
"It is truly astounding that billions can be spent on HS2, but the Government cannot allocate sufficient funds to designate and protect neighbouring woodland. Instead, the surrounding area will be subject to an application for a solar farm, which, whilst we support renewable energy, is in entirely the wrong location."
The announcement comes as the Government continues debate over the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which proposes reforms to the planning system.
Environmental organisations have raised concerns that the bill may weaken long-standing environmental protections by streamlining approvals for large infrastructure projects.
BBOWT is calling on the Government to restore funding for conservation designations and to consider the cumulative ecological impact of infrastructure developments.
The Trust remains committed to working with local communities, policymakers, and partner organisations to identify solutions that support both renewable energy goals and biodiversity recovery.
We have reached out to the Government department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for a comment.