26th October 2025
Residents of Romiley are raising alarm over the ongoing destruction of the Padden Brook Local Wildlife Site (LWS), a precious habitat for wildlife including dormice, hedgehogs, owls, and bats. The site, located in Stockport and listed under the Sites of Biological Importance (SBI) register, is reportedly being cleared without proper ecological surveys or safeguards.
Local campaigners say that over the past year, the area has been subjected to deliberate dumping of rubbish and the removal of healthy and protected trees, “We had a thriving habitat here,” said a concerned resident. “Now it’s been devastated. Dormice and hedgehogs are gone. The destruction is happening right before our eyes.”
The situation has reportedly persisted for more than 14 months, despite repeated appeals to Stockport Council officers, local councillors, and the area’s MP. Complaints made by residents, campaigners, and concerned citizens have reportedly been blocked or labeled “vexatious” by council officials, including the Monitoring Officer and the Complaints Officer.
The landowner has signaled intentions to develop housing on the site, employing architects and making public statements about construction plans. However, no formal ecological surveys have been conducted to assess the impact of development on the site’s wildlife.
In response, local activists have requested boundary maps and ecological records from the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit to compare the LWS designation with the original amenity land boundaries established under Stockport Council’s planning permissions from the 1960s and 1970s. These records, campaigners hope, will provide crucial evidence to protect what remains of the area’s natural heritage.
“The destruction of this site is not just an environmental issue,” said Sheila Oliver, editor of The Romiley Gazette and partner in the Citizens 2022 Committee. “It is a failure to uphold the protections that our local wildlife relies on, and to respect the interests of the community.”
Residents and local campaign groups continue to call for urgent intervention to halt further damage and to ensure proper ecological assessments are conducted before any development proceeds.
