So if you feel like sacrificing a bit of irreplaceable wildlife habitat, then fair enough there's nobody to stop you; at least not most of the time.

So Kaye Meadows is to be turned into allotments by Bradfield Parish Council. Indeed a spokesman for Sheffield City Council's allotment team who will take on the site assured concerned locals that 'the site would be bulldozed by the end of May'. Ah, words of comfort from our local service providers.

So it makes interesting reading then to cast an eye over a letter from Sheffield City Council's own Ecological Advisory Unit saying how this important site should be conserved.

Then it adds a level of concern to have a letter from the Government's own advisor on the natural environment, Natural England, saying how this is an important site and should certainly be saved.

The reason they give for not applying European guidelines to the assessment process is merely lack of resources and so the site is considered too small to worry about.

Then of course there are serious expressions of concern by the Sheffield Wildlife Trust's senior conservation advisors; noting too that the site is covered by such things as the Sheffield Biodiversity Action Plan.

It is worth noting that this type of habitat has shrunk by around 95% nationally since the 1940s; and in the Sheffield area by 99%.

Many remaining areas are in very poor condition and threatened by imminent loss. It is also worth considering that this is a rich wildlife site, part of a diverse historic landscape, and are totally irreplaceable. I might also point out that it is likely the hedgerows are strictly protected both in their own right, and also through the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act.

The latter is because of the likelihood of there being breeding birds, so any disturbance at this time of year is a serious offence.

I suggest that anyone considering bulldozing this site checks the situation first; otherwise they may be guilty of a serious offence. Anyway, I'm sure you can see why the Council(s) are not too bothered. But this all seems ironic during Sheffield's Environment Weeks festival; a celebration of all that is good and important about our local environment.

Also, as far back as 1991, with the Sheffield Nature Conservation Strategy, both Sheffield City Council and Bradfield Parish Council, committed themselves to support the protection and conservation of ALL semi-natural unimproved grasslands (with is what Kaye Meadows are) as Sites of Scientific Interest.

So come on both Bradfield Parish Council and Sheffield City Council and wake up to your commitments and YOUR obligations.

The proposal is to destroy the meadows and replace them with allotments.

The latter is something I certainly favour and encourage, but not at the expense of a wonderful, rich, natural site. I really cannot imagine the would-be allotment holders would want to be party to an act of environmental vandalism.

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