THERE was a time when the fields of Grove Farm were an ideological battleground, fought over by Worcester's various political factions.

In the late 1990s there was much exchange of verbal shot and shell as the Faithful City's municipal big guns slugged it out - and such was the strength of feeling that residents banded together to preserve their little bit of England.

Now, a fresh conflict has arisen after the discovery of barn owls nesting on the site of a proposed 27-acre business park development.

This poses a very difficult dillemma indeed. These noble birds of prey have very specialised feeding habits, requiring a constant supply of small mammals to survive.

In turn, the rodents that make up the owls' diet need rough grassland to flourish. Neatly-mown, sanitised verges on an industrial development just will not suffice.

Our suggestion is this. Worcester desperately needs the job opportunities offered by a project of this kind. Nevertheless, the demands of human and avian enterprise might just be balanced if a sizeable sward of grassland was left untouched, much along the lines of farmers' set-a-side land. This innovation has enjoyed some success up and down the country.

If such a move was possible, Worcester might enjoy the first environmentally-friendly industrial development, one that might even win awards in years to come.

So let's think about it. Yes, jobs are vital - but a world with wildlife is also worth working for, too.