A DEVELOPER is believed to have begun demolishing a historic cricket pavilion in Worcester after a last-minute appeal by a city councillor to take it off their hands fell on deaf ears.
The drama unfolded at the Cinderella Ground off Bransford Road at 7am yesterday as a demolition team on behalf of developer SJS Property Management entered the site and were seen removing doors from the pavilion.
It came after councillor David Clarke called on people to block the entrance to the ground to stop demolition vehicles entering.
He previously offered £1 to take the pavilion off SJS's hands and save it the responsiblity for maintaining it but said his offer was ignored. Shortly after 8am yesterday, police arrived at the ground to ensure no offences were committed and there was no breach of the peace. About 20 members of the public also came along to show their opposition.
In a dramatic twist, Worc-estershire Wildlife Trust's conservation officer Steve Bloomfield turned up at 9.30am and found evidence of nesting birds in two sections of the roof as demolition vehicles were preparing to move in. He said he was called in by the police to confirm claims there were birds nesting in the building, preventing it being knocked down.
But, following negotiations with conservationists, developers are believed to have agreed to begin removing part of the roof where the birds are not nesting - allowed under law. Mr Bloomfield said they would not be allowed to completely demolish the building until the birds had stopped nesting though, which could be not until September. Coun Clark said: "I just feel so devastated about it and very angry. I can't explain quite how I feel, but I'm depressed about it all."
Nesting birds were also found in the building's roof earlier this month but later discovered by the council's conservation officer Will Scott to be disturbed and their nests removed. No one at SJS was available for comment.
l A decision on what to do with the former Kays factory land, next to the Cinderella sports ground in Bransford Road, will be made at the end of the month. A public inquiry was held last week after SJS, on behalf of Arndale Properties and Shop Direct, applied to build houses on the land, but was refused permission by Worcester City Council which wants the site to be used for employment.
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