TREE felling to make way for a 750-home development could still be carried out by a developer during bird nesting season despite appearing to go against its own policy.

There has been much confusion over why the work by Vistry Homes Thames Valley along the A30 has been delayed, and whether the developer is allowed to fell trees during bird nesting season.

As previously reported in the Gazette, Vistry Homes was due to fell trees along the A30 starting on May 18, right in the middle of bird nesting season.

Members of the public complained about the timing, and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council then said the work had been delayed whilst the developer checked it had a licence to fell trees while birds are nesting.

Now, the council has said that the developer does not need a licence to fell trees during bird nesting season, and that the work is instead delayed because of dormice.

This is despite a document submitted as part of Vistry Homes’ planning application stating: “It is an offence to disturb nesting wild birds and their nests, bats and bat roosts and dormouse under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.”

It adds: “Any removal / tree works should not be carried out during the bird nesting season (March – August inclusive).”

However, in a contradictory statement later in the document, it states: “Should any vegetation be outlined for removal during this period, then an ecological survey would be required to check that no nesting birds are present. Should any be found, works shall not be carried out until such a time that a suitably qualified ecologist has certified that the fledglings have left the nest.”

Vistry Homes has said that if nests are found, the work will continue but with a five-metre buffer around the nest, going against its own policy which states the work should not continue.

Both Vistry Homes and the borough council have said that the tree felling is delayed to finalise a dormouse licence with Natural England, after the clearance work was put on hold because of Covid-19 restrictions.

However, Natural England has told the Gazette it has nothing to do with the licence.

A spokesperson for Vistry Homes said: “The works have been delayed due to Covid-19, and as a result, the timings in the Natural England dormouse licence need to be updated. Until this licence is received, the tree-felling works on the A30 cannot proceed.”