Conservationist angry after glow worm destroyed in Old Basing

Alan Wilkinson, who has volunteered as a conservationist for 30 years, has been left devastated as he said housing developer Redrow "completely destroyed" the site in Old Basing.

The glow worm is a medium-sized, narrow beetle. The males look like typical beetles, but the females have no wings and look similar to the larvae. They are most often found as larvae, living under rocks on chalk or limestone grassland, and feeding on slugs and snails.

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The site, which can be found on Basing Road, is being developed by Redrow which is building three to five-bedroom homes on the land.

The development site was also home to 18 glow worms and Alan has been following their expansion into the field.

He said they originally migrated from the railway line when it became unsuitable due to tons of stones being laid along a vast stretch of the railway bank.

A glow warm at the site in Old Basing (Image: Alan Wilkinson)

He told the Gazette that he met with Tilly Whishaw and Mike Dodds from Redrow on November 2 last year.

He also met with Laura White, an ecologist, Chris Slack from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, and Nick Betson who was employed as a site agent for Redrow, to share his concerns.

He said: "I outlined where the glow worms were recorded the previous year, which was a narrow strip of grass and light scrub that ran parallel to the railway line.

"I explained my fears that the remaining population of glow worms would most likely be wiped out and made extinct if this habitat was not maintained properly and carefully.

"I was assured by all present that it would remain intact and would be maintained/improved to allow the glow worms to survive and re-establish a small colony."

Despite this agreement when he visited the site on Sunday, July 23 he was shocked to see the area had been "completely bulldozed".

He said: "I went down there last week and I saw they had cut down a lot of the foliage and they had just completely destroyed all of it. The worms were now lying under 10 inches of mud and chalk."

He said he has now been left "disgusted" and "angry".

A spokesperson from Redrow said: “Detailed consultation with experts, including two ecologists, was carried out prior to any works taking place in the area where glow worms were present, and focused on approving a biodiversity mitigation strategy.

"The extent of the clearance works was agreed by all parties prior to any action on site, however, unfortunately in this one area of the development more vegetation was removed by the contractor than was specified in the plans.

"We understand residents feel strongly about this and remain committed to supporting the biodiversity of the area. We will continue discussions with relevant local experts to accomplish this.”

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Alan said: "They are not a protected species but they are also not very common. They are amazing things, just the fact that they glow and you have to stand in a pitch-black field to see them. It is just amazing to see the green light glowing.

"I understand why we need to build houses but it seems they have destroyed it [site of the worms] without even thinking."

Alan has since said he hopes a few of the worms might survive.