THE value of the former Handley Page airfield for wildlife is limited and can not be used to justify rejecting it, planning expert Richard Tilley has told the inquiry.
The area is designated as a “county wildlife site” because it is used by wintering wading birds, but Mr Tilley said this gave no legal protection as it was not a site of special scientific interest.
He added that the the long term value of the area for birds was doubtful as it was likely to be damaged anyway as those parts extracted for gravel would be restored as farmland.
The inquiry is about to resume after a break, with Mr Tilley's evidence-in-chief likely to take another hour.
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