Wildlife including badgers, bats and great crested newts inhabited a former military installation selected for development into a 1,250-bed asylum processing centre, according to testimony from a former Ministry of Defence police officer.
The former officer, who requested anonymity, spent approximately 15 years working at the installation and maintained that numerous protected species occupied the land throughout his tenure.
An ecological assessment commissioned by the Home Office determined that the decommissioned military facility harboured habitats appropriate for protected species, though it did not verify actual presence of such creatures.
Among the species noted were bats, badgers, great crested newts and nesting birds.
The appraisal further identified appropriate conditions for avian nesting and documented barn owl activity on the premises.
The former officer and other ex-military staff maintained that badgers frequented the area, prompting modifications to security fencing.
Openings were specifically incorporated along the perimeter to preserve established badger movement corridors.
During his time at the facility, bats and newts occupied water storage tanks while diverse bird populations thrived on the grounds.
Avian residents included green woodpeckers among numerous other feathered species, all of which warranted legal protection.
These revelations emerged as opponents of the proposal continue examining ecological assessments conducted at the former military depot.
Campaigner Claire Brenner contended that the Home Office’s environmental evaluation failed to capture the full extent of wildlife present both within and adjacent to the proposed development area.
Documentation reportedly supports the existence of 12 protected bat varieties, otters, breeding great crested newt populations, badger colonies, nightingale territories and a cumulative total of 66 bird species across the site.
Official assessments reportedly discovered no evidence of multiple species groupings within a two-kilometre radius of the installation.
Additional wildlife investigations have been advised prior to commencement of any construction activity.
Concerns were additionally raised regarding the site’s existing utilities and structures, with doubts expressed about whether the decommissioned depot possessed adequate capacity to support operations of the magnitude envisioned by the Home Office.
The former officer expressed scepticism about the site’s appropriateness, noting that available infrastructure would prove insufficient for accommodating 1,250 individuals and that the location bore no resemblance to the Wethersfield facility.