Wildlife Not Warehouses
Wildlife Not Warehouses
Latest: Sept. 4, 2026
David vs. Goliath
The Upper Nene Valley is a designated Special Protection Area (SPA) and is a vital sanctuary for wintering birds, including the magnificent Golden Plover and Lapwing. If North Northamptonshire Counci…
Read moreStretching across Northamptonshire, the Upper Nene Valley is a captivating landscape that encompasses a mosaic of habitats, including veteran trees, ancient hedgerows, wetlands, grasslands, woodlands and rivers. This diverse range of ecosystems fosters a remarkable array of plant and animal species, making it a biodiversity hotspot in the United Kingdom.
STAUNCH were formed in 2021 following two speculative planning applications for B8 warehousing and logistics spanning some 400 acres across this landscape, across prime agricultural and Functionally Linked Land to an Internationally Protected SPA and RAMSAR. This FLL provides the habitat frequented by Lapwing and Golden Plover, both protected species in sharp decline. The SPA has seen a reduction of wintering birds at a faster rate than the UK average (96% decline in Golden Plover and a 76% decline in Lapwing population since 2011).
We have fought a long legal battle, pitted against a planning system skewed in favour of developers, against an under resourced council and incompetent authorities who rubber stamp reports without proper scrutiny. We have one legal route still open to us - to appeal the High Court Judicial Review decision that dismissed our Appeal. Our Legal Counsel believes we can challenge on 2 grounds and to that end, we have drawn up our Skeleton argument. But we cannot progress this without funding. Please help us in our efforts to stop the tsunami of speculative planning applications by developers who put greed before need and to protect our protected spaces and species.
STAUNCH Campaign
Sept. 4, 2026
David vs. Goliath
The Upper Nene Valley is a designated Special Protection Area (SPA) and is a vital sanctuary for wintering birds, including the magnificent Golden Plover and Lapwing. If North Northamptonshire Council and the developers get their way, these tranquil, essential habitats and the surrounding fields that they rely on will be swallowed by a tsunami of concrete, roaring HGVs, and 24/7 light pollution.
This is not just about stopping speculative development in our own backyard, we are engaged in a David vs. Goliath fight for the integrity of UK environmental law. If we lose this appeal, the legal thresholds for 'scientific certainty' under the UK Habitats Regulations will be permanently lowered. We are demanding that the courts uphold the absolute highest standards of scientific proof before a single brick is laid near a protected Special Protection Area.
Our Court of Appeal fighting fund is rapidly approaching our baseline target of £10,000, and we could not be more grateful to all of you who have pledged.
STAUNCH Campaign
Sept. 1, 2026
The National Wake-Up Call
THIS IS NO LONGER JUST A LOCAL FIGHT.
Our legal appeal against North Northamptonshire Council has officially broken out of our county borders. This case is about to set a massive legal precedent for the entire UK.
The High Court judge allowed the council to look past major baseline data gaps on land meant to protect our rare overwintering birds. If this judgment stands, it gives every developer in Britain a golden ticket to bypass strict environmental safeguards.
We are fighting to protect the Upper Nene Valley Special Protection Area, but the outcome of this appeal will shape how every single Special Protection Area in the UK is defended against corporate greed. We are stepping up to the Court of Appeal to protect the UK's Habitats Regulations from being watered down forever.
But we cannot fight this national battle without you.Help us set a precedent that protects nature, not warehouse developers.
STAUNCH Campaign
Aug. 31, 2026
Overwhelming Support In Less Than 24 Hours - Thank You
We simply MUST fight and we MUST win. We must protect our community from inappropriate megawarehouses and logistics on Functionally Linked Land to a Special Protection Area of international importance, recognised as Northamptonshire’s ‘jewel in the crown’. We must prevent the enormous increase in HGV movements and traffic on roads already groaning and operating far beyond capacity, with alarming increases in fatalities and we must ensure competent authorities are bound by their statutory duties versus playing handmaiden to acquisitive developers with a greed agenda.
We are so grateful for your support.
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