Residents demand re-think on Wellington football pitch work over wildlife concerns
Residents have called on a council to re-think plans for a new football pitch over concerns about the impact on nearby wildlife.
On Monday, Telford & Wrekin Council started work on planned changes to Murphy's Field in Wellington, which it owns.
But as council workers turned up at the site at 9am they were greeted by a group of residents with placards and a number of concerns about the project.
Police Community Support Officers also attended.
The council will be creating a new football pitch on the field, which will require earthwork to level off the site.
New footpaths will also be put in, as well as a wildflower meadow.
The field sits next to a pond which is currently home to a range of birds, such as ducks, coots and swans with a group of young cygnets.
Local resident Paul Kalinauckas was part of the group of protesters, and said they were worried that construction work could lead to the swans leaving and abandoning the cygnets, potentially leaving them to die.
Asked about the concerns, Telford & Wrekin Council said the earth moving would be "more than 30 metres" from where the swans are nesting, and added that the authority's ecology specialist would be present "throughout" the work to make sure the birds are not disturbed.
The council has also said that the work will include a 400 sq m wildflower meadow and is needed to encourage, and allow, more people to take part in sport.
