Major charity accused of 'causing carnage' on wildlife-rich land in Milton Keynes

Residents have accused one of the city’s biggest charities of destroying a patch of land that had become a wildlife sanctuary in the middle of their estate.

The scrubland near Cawdor Rise in Westcroft is owned by Milton Keynes Community Foundation, which recently sent contractors in to do “maintenance work” that involved felling dozens of trees.

"The contractor has caused utter carnage,” said one angry resident. “Some people might say ‘so what - it is just a bit of scrubby nothing’. However, bats and newts have been seen on this land and MKCF seem to have little, if any, justification for it.”

Another householder said: “The land is a haven for wildlife. It seems wrong that so much of their habitat can be destroyed.”

Residents say they were not consulted about the work and they have now complained to their MP, Natural England and even Thames Valley Police about it.

The Community Foundation says the site is undergoing the maintenance to “return the land back to a safe and green space for future community use”.

It is donating £100 to Community Trees MK to “offset the removal of some young trees” during the process.

A spokesman for the charity said: “The site is owned by Milton Keynes Community Foundation and is one of several sites we own and maintain across the city for the development by/or for community organisations.

“The planned maintenance work is being undertaken by an experienced landscape company who are clearing scrub, whips and self-seeded saplings. The timing of gardening works has been planned to ensure that we have the least possible impact on small wildlife on the site.

“As part of the scope of works with the landscapers, there is a mutual responsibility and awareness of the need to protect wildlife, and work would cease if there was evidence of protected species. Furthermore, before starting work at the Westcroft site, we sought specialist advice to ensure that work does not disturb possible bat habitats.

“We accept that whilst the maintenance work may initially look severe, we are confident that the work will result in regrowth over the coming months.”

MK Community Foundation receives millions of pounds in donations and funds to redistribute to local help groups all over the city.