Stone curlews to limit development

Businessmen wishing to develop sites at a former Norfolk airfield will have to show their plans will not harm a protected bird species.There are believed to be 350 pairs of stone curlews in the UK and breeding areas are restricted to Norfolk and Wiltshire.

Businessmen wishing to develop sites at a former Norfolk airfield will have to show their plans will not harm a protected bird species.

There are believed to be 350 pairs of stone curlews in the UK and breeding areas are restricted to Norfolk and Wiltshire.

Now councillors have agreed to include a condition that anyone wanting to develop land on the Tattersett Business Park must clearly show there is no adverse impact on the protected birds.

Councillors were looking at a new planning blueprint for North Norfolk and were told there are a further 14 hectares of undeveloped land on the site, but prospective develop-ers must show, by providing official ecological evidence, that any scheme will not threaten the protected birds.

The birds and breeding areas are protected by national wildlife laws and a survey found there are 17 nests within 1,500m of the business park and "signific-antly more" within 2,500m.

The study showed the birds were "very sensitive" to the "built environment" and Breckland Council identified the 1,500m "zone of impact" was needed to protect them.