In a surprise about-turn, developers have decided to save a Monmouth site where the rare bee orchid grows from being mown during the growing season, writes CHARLES BOASE.

Earlier they had said that to leave the ground unmown “would reduce the value of our investment” and the site has been mown regularly despite an outcry from ecologists and the local community.

After being told of a discussion in the town council, where calls were heard for local people to club together to buy the land, developers Robert Hitchins told the Beacon: “The company is happy to agree to not mow the flower during the growing season.

‘‘It is reminded that the land is private and therefore anyone on the land without the landowners permission is trespassing.”

The Cheltenham-based developers added they would not be granting any permissions.

Asked if the “growing season” meant from March to October, as ecologists want, the spokeswoman said: “The growing season is weather/seasonal dependent.

‘‘So we will be guided by that each year and not calendar dates.”

The area of less than an acre off Cornpoppy Avenue has more bee orchids in one concentration than anywhere else in Monmouthshire if not in Wales, the council was told by Rachel Morgan, chair of Monmouthshire Meadows, the group dedicated to conserving and restoring our wildflower-rich grasslands.

But when public interest had grown in the “unexpected profusion” earlier this year of the flower on that site, the developers had immediately fenced off the land and started mowing it regularly, she said.

She asked if there was any way the council could stop the developer from mowing the bee orchids next year.

“Hopefully you will appreciate the immense importance and fantastic opportunity this offers to Monmouthshire and Monmouth town council,” she said, reminding them that Monmouth was the first “bee town”.

The land was intended for retail development when the Rockfield estate was built, but, Ms Morgan argued that, given the new Co-op near by and the site’s closeness to a water course, it was “extremely unlikely” to get planning permission.

Councillors said they would do “everything possible” to protect the area.

They agreed to “write to the developers expressing our concerns and that we intend to take an action”.

That action includes trying to get the county council and Natural Resources Wales to support the town council and Monmouthshire Meadows.

Chair Terry Christopher said: “I think there’s strength in numbers and I think the way forward is in the first instance is to communicate with the various agencies and the developers and see how we can take this forward.”

Suggestions the site should be protected as an SSSI (a site of special scientific interest) were dismissed as being too difficult to obtain and possibly not enforceable in law.

The council will inquire whether planning permission would be granted on the site.

If not, the developers could be told: “Don’t waste your time mowing it.”

Cllr Anthea Dewhurst said: “If it was only valued as agricultural land then perhaps the local area might like to raise funds to buy it as an area of common land there.”

Gwent Wildlife and Monmouthshire Meadows might join in, she said.

“There could be quite a lot of publicity for buying that, it’s not a big area and it would be a real amenity for local people.”