ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners are calling on a developer to amend plans to build 220 homes, warning the proposals could destroy some of the last wildflower meadows in the UK.

Construction on the Cwmbran site could lead to the destruction and fragmentation of wildlife and deprive residents of a vital connection with nature, according to Gwent Wildlife Trust.

The trust said there were only the equivalent of 10 rugby pitches of traditional lowland meadows — 10 hectares — left in the country, andA GWT conservation officer described the site near Greenmeadow Way as a “precious jewel”.

The trust spoke out after Taylor Wimpey lodged a planning application to build 224 properties on the site of the former Police Training College in Cwmbran.

GWT conservation officer Sorrel Jones said: “There are so few of these wildflower meadows left in Torfaen, this site is a precious jewel in the middle of Cwmbran.

“GWT really hopes that Torfaen council can see the value of the site for pollinators, other wildlife and local people, and find another way to meet their housing requirements.”

The trust said traditional lowland meadows support orchids and hay rattle as well as crucial pollinators including bees.

A spokesman quoted figures from a 1990s study indicating these wildflower meadows were now very rare, with approximately 97 per cent in Wales and England having been lost.

GWT believes the level of housing required could be accommodated by increasing the housing density within areas at each end of the site that have much less value for wildlife, thereby safeguarding the meadows.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said: “Taylor Wimpey is proposing 224 homes and public open space on this part of the site and is proposing to return the former playing field to a recreation area with children’s play and adult recreation facilities that will seek to retain as much of the species-rich grassland as possible in ‘buffer’ and ‘run off’ areas and manage those areas appropriately to ensure they remain species-rich."

“Taylor Wimpey is committed to developing the site responsibly – making the most efficient use of the site by maximising the number of units on the brownfield area in order to take the pressure for additional dwellings from the greenfield eastern area of the site, where the most significant areas of grassland exist.

“Any areas of grassland that will be lost will be mitigated and replaced in other areas of the site and managed to remove threats from invasive species that exists currently.

“Taylor Wimpey will be submitting a planning application for the balance of the allocation on the remainder of the site in due course.

“This is likely to extend to approximately four ha including public and recreational open space – leaving approximately 9.6 ha of the allocation site, including the vast majority of the grassland, untouched.”

The trust urges people to write to Torfaen council at planning@torfaen.gov.uk by June 30 as well as their AM and MP to object to the plans. A template letter can be found on their website at gwentwildlife.org