New Manchester airport runway halted by newts
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Plans to extend the controversial new runway at Manchester airport are under threat from a newt. English Nature has called for the strongest legal protection available for the great crested newt, an internationally threatened amphibian that is thriving in two ponds by the runway.
To the fury of the airport's managers and local authorities, biologists at the group are to organise a major survey of the airport's newt population next year in an attempt to prove that up to 850 acres of land deserves designation as a special area of conservation by the European Commission.
If they succeed, the airport will be unable to extend the runway, build a parallel taxi-way or develop the surrounding countryside.
The airport is particularly irritated because 3,000 of the newts living around the ponds were put there by the airport in 1997-98 as part of a £17m environmental improvement programme introduced to overcome ecological objections to the new runway.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments