Farmland in South Cambridgeshire facing East West Rail threat becomes County Wildlife Site

County Wildlife Site status has been granted to land that lies on the path of the proposed East West Rail route.

The farmland, known as Westfield, is part of the 400-acre Lark Rise Farm, near the villages of Barton and Comberton and is owned by Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT).

The national charity, which is focused on nature-friendly farming practices, hopes the status might prompt the East West Railway Company to reconsider the route it proposes for the new Oxford-Cambridge line between a new station at Cambourne and the under-construction Cambridge South station.

The status highlights the land’s ecological importance and was granted after a rigorous review by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Sites Panel, with input from the Wildlife Trust, the county and district councils and other environmental organisations.

Dr Lucy Wilson, conservation officer for the Wildlife Trust Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, said: “Westfield Farm has been selected as a County Wildlife Site by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Sites Panel for its assemblage of arable plants, one of our most threatened groups of plants due to modern, efficient farming practices.

“The CRT manages the site of four fields under a regime of low-input, rotational cultivation, which has allowed the arable plants to flourish alongside the crops.”

Fourteen arable plant species of local or national significance have been recorded on the site including night-flowering catchfly (Silene noctiflora), shepherd’s-needle (Scandix pecten-veneris) and spreading hedge-parsley (Torilis arvensis), which are all threatened with extinction both locally and nationally.

“This arable plant assemblage underpins an ecosystem which includes threatened farmland birds which breed on the site such as grey partridge and corn bunting.

“County Wildlife Sites are some of our remaining refuges for vulnerable wildlife and need protecting so that they can act as centres of dispersal as our countryside recovers,” added Lucy.

Dr Vince Lea, conservation officer for the CRT, said: “This recognition is a testament to the value of the land and the work we’ve been doing for over 25 years to nurture it for wildlife. I hope this will encourage East West Rail to reassess their plans.

“Their surveys have overlooked the ecological value of these arable fields, a clear flaw in their approach.”

Dr Lea revealed that the next step is to nominate the site for consideration as a nationally significant site, following recommendations from conservationists.

With a score of 55 from records dating back to 2006, the CRT says the site qualifies as being of national importance.

County Wildlife Sites are the most significant areas of semi-natural habitat outside statutory protected sites, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).

Tim Scott, who farms Lark Rise - and once buried his pants to demonstrate soil health - described the recognition as very rewarding – and the result of 25 years of hard work and dedication at Westfield.

He said: “I hope that EWR will recognise arable biodiversity as endangered and accept this is a site of county significance and more and it is irreplaceable. With our Red List revival, we are in the top one per cent in the country. This cannot be replicated.”

An East West Railway Company spokesperson said: “Protecting the environment is a fundamental part of our decision-making and we're doing everything we can to avoid, reduce and mitigate negative environmental impacts to deliver a sustainable railway. We have been in contact with the farm's owners and will continue to update them as our design progresses.

“We are committed to delivering 10 per cent biodiversity net gain for the project to improve and increase the level of biodiversity rather than simply replacing what is lost.

“At each stage of planning and developing East West Rail we are working hard to ensure that environmental concerns are fully considered. We’re listening to and working closely with local community groups, environmental bodies and local highway and planning authorities to assess the environmental impacts of our plans on areas such as environmentally important sites and priority habitats.”