Campaign to save heathland from mineral extraction

Conservationists are hoping to save 110 acres of heathland at the centre of a nature reserve that has been put up for sale.

The land at Upton Heath, near Poole, Dorset, has planning permission for mineral extraction, according to auctioneers Town and Country, which is handling the public auction on 29 April.

But Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) says the plot, which used to be part of its Upton Heath Nature Reserve, is also a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation.

DWT, along with MP Vikki Slade and Dorset Council, is working to raise funds to acquire the land, which has a guide price of £300,000 to £500,000.

Trust CEO Brian Bleese said a public fundraising campaign was planned.

"It's vital that we buy this land and we are trying very hard to pull the funding together," he said.

"It's part of the SSSI and shares all the designations. It's got all the protections it's possibly able to have.

"The area was leased to Dorset Wildlife Trust for many years but a few years ago the landowner terminated the lease."

Bleese said he feared the sale would attract interest from a speculative purchaser.

He said: "The long-term risk is the mineral extraction - and minerals permission is part of how it is being marketed.

"Upton Heath is incredibly important. If it was lost for minerals, it would be devastating – it would be a disaster."

Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Vikki Slade said she was due to meet with Bleese and Dorset Council "to see how we can raise the money to make sure that none of this precious landscape is lost".

"We must make sure that the whole of Upton Heath is protected for nature and for our local community," she said.

Upton Heath is an internationally important area of heathland and home to all six of Britain's native reptiles, including the rare sand lizard and smooth snake.

According to the sales brochure from Town and Country Property Auctions, planning permission for mineral extraction was granted in 1950 and is due to expire "at approx 2047".

A Dorset Council spokesperson said: "We are in discussions with Vikki Slade MP and Dorset Wildlife Trust about the situation and will share more information when we can."