THERE is a patch of wild meadow along Wide Lane in Eastleigh, bordered by South Street on one side and by the road to Eastleigh Lakes on the other.

It has now been sold for commercial development and, as it states in the sales document, it could be used for retail, office space or general commercial.

I’m guessing planning application is in but I don’t know what for.

It’s one of the few spaces left in Eastleigh that is untouched. A meadow, used by dog walkers, and full of wild flowers, butterflies and wildlife, I’ve seen kestrels hovering.

I know that such considerations cut no ice with the council or with developers but, and this is the thing, I’ve seen slow worms in the grass there whilst walking my dog.

Slow worms are protected by law. Is there any way that this could affect development, stop it, prevent it, and how would one go about it?

I feel strongly about this. Eastleigh Council, along with others all over the country, seem to have carte blanche all of a sudden in their granting of planning permission on almost every patch of green field site.

Green field sites that, only a few years ago, were so safeguarded.

Now, it seems that safeguarded. Now, it seems that safeguard has been totally removed from planning considerations (look at Stoneham Park, also in Eastleigh!).

But in this case, surely they cannot ride roughshod over our laws which protect certain species.

There is a 44-acre brownfield site only half a mile away, just across the M27, the now disused Ford site.

Surely it could, and should, be used for any retail or commercial development before considering our little wild meadow which harbours the protected slow worm.

Jenny Mckean-Tinker, Eastleigh