Save Hoylake's dunes

UPDATE: THANK YOU to everyone who has given to this and in such a short space of time! Any additional donations beyond the goal will be used for continued involvement by Freeths. If donations exceed costs, any additional donations will be donated in full to sand dune conservation.

Over the course of one year, Wirral Council with Natural England have cleared in excess of 0.5 hectares of globally rare saltmarsh and sand dune which lie within the Dee Estuary SAC, a globally protected site. In October 2024, the Office for Environmental Protection stated that "in this case, we believe natural England may have failed to comply with environmental law." Despite this assessment, Natural England have granted Wirral Council further permission to clear around 1.5 hectares more.

I have instructed legal specialists at Freeths, including Richard Broadbent (former head of legal services at Natural England) and Helen Mitcheson (environmental lawyer), to challenge this, and I am appealing for £1,900 to help me cover legal fees. Richard and Helen are currently in contact with Wirral Council to make this legal challenge clear before irreplaceable habitats are destroyed in April 2025.

Now home to hundreds of species, including around 240 plant species (over 30 of which are threatened with extinction) Hoylake's foreshore represents around 2% of the total area of embryonic sand dune remaining in Britain. Hoylake foreshore is naturally evolving. Vast quantities of sand deposition, after a century of absence, have meant the return of sand dune vegetation. This is home to species that are very rare at both a national and/or global level - from sea aster mining bees (Colletes halophilus) to sea whorl-grass (Catabrosa aquatica uniflora).

This natural development has created a significant area of new, recovering sand dune - an oasis for an array of specialist wildlife. It is this precious and irreplaceable natural habitat that Wirral Council intend to demolish, and Natural England have consistently abdicated their responsibility to protect it.

We have a moral responsibility to protect the natural environment, biodiversity, and local wildlife. The survival and natural development of these habitats is intrinsically linked to our own. Preserving them safeguards the delicate balance of life that sustains future generations.

Any help and support you can give, both moral or financial towards the aforementioned legal fees, would be enormously appreciated.

Josh Styles MSc AMRSB MCIEEM

Botanist