Middlewick Ranges in Colchester is a haven for nature and people in an increasingly congested city. Shockingly, despite being the largest remaining intact acid grassland in Essex, it has been earmarked for up to 1,000 houses which would see the site destroyed and its rare species lost forever. We have joined together to fight for the Middlewick Ranges - but we need your help.

Why is the Middlewick Ranges important?

Once a military firing range, the rare acid grasslands of Middlewick Ranges were spared from development or agriculture- a surviving fragment of undisturbed grassland. Its 76ha expansive mosaic of flowery grassland, sandy slopes, scrub, ponds, woodland and hedgerows gives wildlife a space to thrive on the city’s doorstep.

Middlewick Ranges, as part of ‘Colchester Barracks’, is home to the second largest population of Red Listed Nightingales in the UK - part of an assemblage of over 20 Red and Amber Listed breeding birds which also includes Cuckoos and Skylarks.

Nightingale at Middlewick Ranges (c) Glyn Evans

Nearly 1,500 invertebrates have been found here, including 167 species of conservation concern. Incredibly, a quarter of all the UK’s spider species have been recorded, such as the Vulnerable Six-spotted Mouse-spider (Phaeocedus braccatus). This one site is also home to a quarter of all of Essex’s recorded butterflies and moths. Threatened species have found a refuge at Middlewick, such as the striking Endangered Necklace Ground Beetle (Carabus monilis) and the Four-banded Weevil-wasp (Cerceris quadricincta), a wasp only found in Essex and Kent. It also supports important populations of reptiles, amphibians, mammals and specialist waxcap fungi, colourful indicators of ancient grassland. Vulnerable Barbastelle Bats fly across Middlewick, with evidence of them breeding in the adjoining woodland.

It is one of the largest Local Wildlife Sites in Essex, but a campaign is now underway for it to be designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), recognising its nationally important habitats and wildlife.

For the people of Colchester, the Middlewick Ranges is at the heart of the community. It is a place for peace, calm and recreation to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life in an increasingly busy city. It brings people together and has inspired art exhibitions, films, poetry and concerts.

Necklace Ground Beetle (Carabus Monilis) (c) Matt Berry

Why is Middlewick Ranges under threat?

The Ministry of Defence has decided that the Middlewick Ranges site is surplus to its requirements, so is looking to dispose of the site. This led to its controversial inclusion in the Colchester Local Plan for up to 1,000 homes, following misleading and poor-quality assessments of its special wildlife and how the impacts could be mitigated.

Despite calls for the site to be designated as a SSSI and for the Ministry of Defence to meet the Government’s own biodiversity commitments and secure its future for conservation, Middlewick Ranges remains up for sale. Meanwhile, Colchester City Council remains steadfast in its decision to transform it into a housing estate.

If development was to go ahead, it would set a dangerous precedent of government departments facilitating the destruction of important nature sites, and call into question its commitment to halting declines in biodiversity by 2030. It would also be an irreparable blow to Essex’s wildlife.

With nature in crisis, we believe that first and foremost, places like Middlewick Ranges have to be protected. This is simply the wrong place to build houses.

What are we trying to achieve?

Buglife, Butterfly Conservation, Colchester Natural History Society, CPRE Essex, Essex Field Club, Essex Wildlife Trust and the Friends of Middlewick have been working closely to secure the site’s future.

We have written to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Ministry of Defence who currently control Middlewick Ranges’ future and lobbied Colchester City Council to reverse their decision to include it in their Local Plan. We have called on Natural England to stand up for wildlife and designate it as a SSSI, presenting them with a wealth of evidence of its rich natural history. We have engaged with consultations and local decision makers, and worked with the local community to raise awareness of the site’s importance.

However, we believe that the time has come to challenge the series of decisions that led to the site being identified as appropriate for housing, as opposed to the nature haven that it is. There is clear evidence that the ecological report, prepared on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, provided incorrect and substantially misleading information to the Council about the quality of the habitat at Middlewick Ranges. Having presented extensive new evidence of its importance we want to challenge Colchester City Council’s insistence that the site remain in in the Local Plan.

This requires legal advice and potentially the support of other experts to help navigate the complex and exhaustive planning policy process.

We urgently need to raise at least £10,000 to provide the resources that we need to Defend Middlewick Ranges

£20,000 will cover the cost of specialist solicitors and barristers who are experienced in the legal proceedings and can cast a critical eye over the processes and decisions. It will also enable us to bring in expert advisors to review planning documents and provide independent assessments to support our position. Whatever money we raise will go towards our ongoing efforts to save Middlewick Ranges.

We want to defeat the housing proposals before they enter the planning system and protect Middlewick Ranges once and for all. In doing this we strive to set a positive UK planning precedent of the government protecting the Local Wildlife Sites and nature hotspots under its ownership.

For more information, please visit Save the Middlewick Ranges and read recent national news coverage of our campaign.

Community show of support (c) Martin Pugh