A NEW campaign was launched on Monday urging East Hampshire District planners to carry out a proper environmental impact assessment as part of the reserve matters application for a 280-home development that threatens to destroy the Treloar butterfly meadows.

The aim of the Preserve Treloar Meadows Campaign is “to preserve as much as possible of the delicate ecology of the meadows as building work threatens to encroach on this rare chalk downland”.

“It’s a natural haven for flora and fauna, in particular its treasured collection of rare orchids, native moths and butterflies,” said a group spokesman.

There was standing-room only at All Saints’ Church Hall as 120 people heard acting chairman Ginny Boxall give a brief outline of the history of the meadows and the importance of the ecology, and why they are worth preserving.

And she added that the fight was now on to ensure that what remains after development should be of ecological value and a lasting and fitting legacy to Sir William Purdie Treloar and a place for quiet and peaceful contemplation for locals and future generations to enjoy for years to come.

The campaign already has the support of Sir William Purdy Treloar’s great-great-nephew, Gerry Treloar, who believes, like the Preserve Treloar Meadows Campaign, that the meadows should remain as “a lasting legacy” to the pioneering work of Sir William and his wife, who not only owned but built a hospital on the site.

Mrs Boxall finished with a quote from Gerry Treloar, who said: “I think it is a great shame that this beautiful area of space and magnificent nature is under threat. There is an urgent need to preserve areas like this. Once the rare creatures are gone they cannot be brought back again.”

Joining the meeting was naturalist Dr June Chatfield, who spoke about the delicate ecology of the meadows and why this chalk downland meadow is so rare.

Dr Chatfield urged campaigners to fight for as much protection as possible at the reserved matters stage of the Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital site application (part of the South Alton Plan) by putting pressure on the developer to push back the housing from the meadow boundary.

The campaign had discovered, through contact with ELF, the environmental law firm introduced by Prince Charles, that in 2012 an earlier screening decision for the Treloar hospital site was that an environmental impact assessment was required on the site - a fact that was apparently ignored when outline permission was approved in February 2015.

Mrs Boxall said: “Surely, requirement for an environmental impact assessment does not fall away with the passage of time.”

An open time for questions from the floor followed with folk being given the chance to have their say on how they would like to see the meadows preserved.

Representatives from the local Liberal Democrat and Green parties were also able to show their support by contributing to the discussion.

According to Mrs Boxall, Paula Langley, chairman of Alton Labour Party, had written “a hard-hitting letter” to EHDC, the Lib Dems are about to produce a special Focus edition about the meadows, and TV broadcaster, gardener and wild flower enthusiast Alan Titchmarsh had endorsed the campaign, saying: “In our struggle to provide the necessary homes for our own population, we really must not overlook the housing problems facing the natural world, for while our homes are increasing in number theirs are shrinking - thanks to an insatiable appetite on our part for building not only on greenfield sites but also on sites that are of botanical and entomological importance and significance.

“The two things are not mutually incompatible, but we do need to realise that building on sites such as Alton’s butterfly meadows reduces the rich diversity of our native wildlife. We cannot reclaim them once they are gone. I do hope that basic commonsense will prevail and prevent yet another of our local wildlife sites from being swallowed up.”

Moving forward, the Preserve Treloar Meadows Campaign encouraged supporters to write to their local town and county councillors and to register their concerns with EHDC’s planning department, stressing the need for an environmental impact assessment to be carried out at the reserved matters stage.

They were also urged to remain engaged by signing up to newsletters and updates on the campaign website at ptmc.org.uk and to visit the group’s Facebook page on social media where details of future meetings and events will be posted.

The Preserve Treloar Meadows Campaign team thanked everyone who gave their time to show their support by attending the meeting and for offers of help.