Legal dispute
This project aims to raise funds to resolve a claim, or other type of dispute.
Preserve the integrity of the Wolborough Fen SSSI
Newton Abbot, United Kingdom
Crowdfunder is secure
Your payment details are protected
Aim
Raising funds to preserve the integrity of the Wolborough Fen SSSI, as laid down in law by the Secretary of State in 2020.
- We are raising funds to help Devon Wildlife Trust defeat harmful drainage proposals that threaten Wolborough Fen SSSI.
- Years of cuts and political pressure have left Natural England unable to protect the Fen. The same failure is being repeated across the country.
- A Public Inquiry in August will decide the Fen’s future. Devon Wildlife Trust is funding vital expert evidence; we need to cover the legal costs. Please help us save Wolborough Fen and expose the national scandal of Natural England’s dismantling.
Background
In 2020, following a lengthy planning appeal, the Secretary of State for Housing granted outline permission for the NA3 site in Newton Abbot, subject to strict pre-commencement conditions to ensure the protection of the adjacent Wolborough Fen SSSI. Since early 2025, Vistry Homes and Baker Estates have proceeded with development on the NA3 Wolborough site that has ignored these legal obligations, putting the Fen at risk. This Crowdfunder was set up to get a barrister's opinion to stop unlawful development. The outcomes can be seen in the updates sections. We are now focused on the Planning Inquiry costs for August 2026. Please see the latest uppdate.
History of this Crowdfunder Campaign - In spring 2025, works commenced at Wolborough that should not have been started without Natural England signing off Condition 20. On the 28th of April, Vistry Homes and contractor Champion started further work in Stray Park Meadow, itself a County Wildlife Site (CWS) which had been refused planning permission by TDC in December 2024. Local Councillors lobbied the Teignbridge planning department for a stop notice to this and other works. It took residents entering the site and facing down the diggers on the 29th April to halt the works. Eventually TDC issued a 59 day stop notice.
NA3 in Newton Abbot is the most controversial potential development site in the history of Teignbridge District Council (TDC). The iconic farmland and 'rolling fields' are adjacent to the ancient Wolborough Fen, a protected site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The farmland provides the vital groundwater supply for the ancient and unique habitat that is entrusted to the Devon Wildlife Trust and protected by Natural England. It is widely accepted that interfering with this supply would damage or destroy this unique ecosystem, which boasts plants seen in only a handful of places in the South West. In 2019, community groups challenged applications to build 1200 houses on the farmland. The Planning Inspector concluded that the wellbeing of the Wolborough Fen is "the over-riding concern", leading to then Secretary of State Robert Jenrick laying down clear protections for the Fen. These conditions require detailed hydrological surveying of the NA3 site and ensure no development can take place until it can be demonstrated that the integrity of the SSSI will not be adversely affected. A key protection is Condition 20, which has to be signed off by Natural England. The statutory body has not signed off on this condition and has stated its 'expressed ongoing concerns regarding the impact of groundwater on the designated features of Wolborough Fen SSSI.'
We are raising funds to ensure that hydrogeological survey work covering seasonal fluctuations, as required by the outline permission and the development's Design Code be must be undertaken to conclude how the Wolborough Fen SSSI can be protected, as laid down by the Secretary of State. Back this crowdfunder to raise funds for the Wolborough Residents’ Association to engage Buxtons Solicitors and a barrister to provide this legal advice.
The campaign to preserve the Wolborough Fen has gained national coverage with The Guardian listing the SSSI amongst the most precious nature in England under threat of destruction from development. The Wolborough Fen is number 5 in the Guardian list of 'jewels of English nature at risk' and can be read online here and seen below.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 31st August 2026 at 11:59pm