County Wildlife Site status could save Old Catton Deer Park

Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) has confirmed the deer park at Old Catton, near Norwich, is likely to be awarded County Wildlife Site (CWS) status.

This signifies a site's importance and value for wildlife in a county context and means that the NWT will closely follow any planning applications relating to the site.

Data collected by The Deer Park Action Group (DPAG) - who have been fighting to protect the area - shows that the site is a haven for rare wildlife in need of protection.

The horses in Deer Park, Old Catton inspired Anna Sewell to write Black Beauty (Image: newzulu.com)

The Grade II*-listed park, which inspired author Anna Sewell's famous novel Black Beauty, was purchased from the Buxton family by housing company Devlin Developments in April.

A planning application is expected to be submitted to Broadland District Council within a year.

Old Catton Deer Park (Image: Brittany Woodman)

The DPAG has discovered that the mixed scrub, trees, and grassland of the Deer Park provide food and shelter for a diversity of bat and bird species.

In August the DPAG carried out a survey by setting up bat recorders to capture the sound waves emitted by bats on the site and confirmed the presence of six species of bat, four of which are BAP species – meaning it is identified by Biodiversity Action Plans as a species in steady decline where conservation and restoration of habitat is essential.

The group has continued to compile bird species data with monthly bird watches and a two-week Autumnwatch in September.

Kathy Branson, chairwoman of the Deer Park Action Group, at the park at Old Catton with the newborn foal and mother in October (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)Thirty-seven bird species have been seen and heard in the park, including swift and amber-listed song thrush designated as BAP species.

NWT says it cannot register the land as a CWS without a full survey which would require the land-owner's permission, but the body is certain the Deer Park boasts local character and distinctiveness that gives grounds for it to be awarded from the data collected by the DPAG.

A spokesman for the NWT said: "Although we have not been able to fully survey the Deer Park, we have viewed it from the boundaries and we believe it is likely to be of CWS quality and should be treated as such during the planning process.

"We would expect that detailed surveys be carried out so they can be assessed during the planning process.

"We’ve assessed the site based on a number of criteria including being an area of historic parkland mentioned on the Historic Environment Record, the species richness of the sward and the fauna that have been recorded on the site and most notably song thrush, swift, barbastelle bat, noctule bat, soprano pipistrelle bat, and brown-long-eared bat which are all Norfolk BAP species."

If the land comes into the possession of Old Catton Parish Council - something the DPAG would like to see - the site could be legitimately surveyed and given CWS.

Looking towards the Deer Park from Church Street in Old Catton (Image: Archant)

This, the group says, would provide access to grants, advice on gaining other funding, and ongoing management advice and surveys to maximise both the site’s value for conservation and knowledge of the wildlife it supports.

Michelle Sorensen, wildlife lead for DPAG said: "The Deer Park has an important role in the conservation of Old Catton’s green spaces as a wildlife refuge and a connecting corridor for wildlife travelling between green areas."The dense shrubs, trees and grassland provide food and shelter for a diversity of locally and nationally threatened bird and bat species."

Kathy Branson, chairwoman of the Deer Park Action Group (Image: Kathy Branson)

Kathy Branson, chairwoman of DPAG added: "Old Catton is already playing its part to accommodate much-needed housing to the north and east of the parish.

"Removing even more cherished green space in Old Catton for a few more houses seems counterintuitive, especially when this urban green space is protected, of high biodiversity value, and so important to the residents of the area.

If this bit of important open space, or biodiversity-rich green lung is removed then where will it stop?"