We are a group of residents who have been campaigning since 2021 to stop a developer from building new homes on the home of the badger sett. This area is a precious strategic green corridor and home to a plethora of flora and fauna. 

A private landowner has applied to build 3 blocks of apartments and an access road. This has been planned on a small strip of woodland that lies between residential homes and the railway. This will cause destruction of the woodland which is home to a family of badgers and other animals, which include protected trees.

We started a petition in 2021 to protect this woodland and have amassed 31K signatures to date. The landowner has put forward a badger re-homing plan. But this will not work as it moves the badger sett closer to the main road.

Any proposal to re-site the Badgers under licence will risk the loss of the species as they are sensitive to disturbance from machinery and earth moving equipment. The vibration alone could drive them out from the set and onto a busy road and an unplanned emergency exit onto a railway line. 

The set is sensitive at any time of year, they mate mainly in February but can potentially mate in any month. The cubs are born in February and emerge from the set 16 weeks later. At present the Badgers have a secluded foraging area on the embankment itself, free of excess light and traffic and disturbance which will end with the commencement of any development and there will post development effects from dogs, lighting, fireworks, and fly-tipping. 

Any such development on the railway embankment will cause intense disturbance to the foraging and commuting habitat.

Besides the Badgers the site has a high biodiversity value with an excellent number of plant species. I recorded 107 species of plants on the embankment. None of the species are scarce but such a high number indicates a high quality site and this site is being considered to being designated a nature reserve.

The high plant diversity is replicated in the diversity of the birds. I recorded 22 bird species on the site including Song Thrush which is a species in decline nationally. I have been told by the residents that Owls call at night so that makes 23 species.

The site is in my view a critical one as it forms part of an almost continuous green belt which follows the railway line.

This has been recognised by Harrow as a strategically important commuting route for plant and animal species. It is shown as a strategic Green Route on the Harrow UDP (Unitary Development Plan). These Green Routes are highly important for migrating and commuting species such as birds and bats.

For bats having dark corridors to commute along is essential especially for large, long-ranged commuting species such as Noctule and for light sensitive species such as Brown-Long Eared Bat. The latter will not cross brightly lit areas.

The development will result in more light spillage both onto the embankment and the surrounds and there is increasing evidence to suggest that light pollution affects invertebrates.

Besides the destruction of habitat there will be the effects on the local people from noise and vibration from the development itself and then from the overlooking of the properties. Light spillage into residents bedrooms will disturb sleep. There will be increased traffic and access issues.

This development sets a dangerous precedent. The badger sett has been there for decades in an undisturbed location. Now their world is to be destroyed and they are due to be forced out of their home by exclusion. There is no guarantee of success. The new residents will destroy the badgers with their disturbance, music, fireworks, dogs, artificial light. The wildlife of the embankment and back gardens will be devastated by the development especially by light spill and effectively the strategic green corridor will be cut.

Despite 31k+ signatures and 200s of objections against the local proposal, the local council has now approved the plans to build these new homes on the site.

We appreciate the need for new homes, but this area of Harrow is now over developed. Many new builds are unaffordable and similar blocks stand empty, that can be perfectly repurposed for affordable housing. The London borough is also ahead of its house building target.

Our only course of action now is to bring a legal challenge against the decision.

We have appointed a brilliant legal team to fight a just environmental cause and we are prepared to legally challenge the case all the way to set a precedent for other environmental just causes of a similar nature in England and Wales.

We want to thank our backers who got us to this stage and now we are appealing to you for more assistance. We will soldier to the end protect this precious natural habitat.

Please donate now and share with family, friends, and colleagues. Together we can help protect this Badger sett.

Link to the petition here Save the Badgers

A HUGE THANK YOU

The residents of Pinner Road and the Gardens