23rd October 2025
Stockport Council Acts on Gate, But Woodland Still Under Siege
Romiley residents are left scratching their heads at Stockport Council’s baffling priorities over Padden Brook’s W1-protected woodland. For 14 months, local campaigners have flagged urgent environmental destruction — and yet the council only seems to leap into action when the landowner installs a gate 0.9 meters too high.
The woodland, home to hedgehogs, dormice, bats, and owls, has been trashed by the landowner: sprayed, strimmed, bulldozed, and stripped of vital ash trees. Unstable ground has been bulldozed, tree roots damaged, and habitats destroyed. Residents have begged the council to intervene — but until the gate appeared, response was there none.
In a statement on October 21, 2025, the council confirmed that a site visit was carried out over the “planning breach” — the gate posts exceeding permitted development limits. The landowner is reportedly submitting a retrospective planning application, which the council will “assess in due course.” Meanwhile, entire habitats remain at risk. Stockport Council’s Planning Enforcement Officer, Lisa McGrane, addressed concerns about rubbish accumulation and activities on the site. McGrane confirmed that she had conducted a site visit immediately upon receiving the latest complaint and noted that this was one of many visits undertaken as part of the council’s ongoing monitoring of the area. However, residents argue that these visits have not translated into meaningful action to protect the woodland’s wildlife and habitat.
Local campaigners are livid. Sheila Oliver, a Romiley activist, called for an independent investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman or the Environment Agency into the felling of two mature trees in the W1 protected woodland site emphasizing that public trust is evaporating as environmental violations go unpunished.
“It’s almost farcical,” Oliver said. “For over a year, we’ve watched a protected woodland get destroyed, and the one thing that triggers action is a gate just slightly taller than the rules allow. Wildlife comes second to paperwork.”
The situation exposes a council seemingly more concerned with technicalities than nature itself, leaving Romiley residents frustrated and fearful for the future of Padden Brook woodland.
If there’s a moral here: in Stockport, measure your gates carefully — but don’t count on the council to protect the bats, dormice, or hedgehogs.
