Voles back home after making way for development

A COLONY of water voles have been returned to their original habitat after being relocated to another part of the country whilst the £200m Capitol Park development in East Yorkshire was completed.

Fifty water voles, which have been looked after in Devon for the past 18 months, have been released back into their original habitat at Oakhill Country Park, next to Capitol Park in Goole.

Capitol Park owners Sterling Capitol moved the voles to Devon on advice from ecologists to ensure their safety with a view to relocating them in a suitable habitat at a later date.

Martin Croxen, chief executive of Sterling Capitol, said today: “We are delighted the time has now come to release the voles back into their natural habitat. We have had to wait until we received the all-clear from the ecologists and the cold weather in April delayed our plans somewhat. The Country Park, which is situated behind Capitol Park, is a real asset to us. We are in the process of completing a management plan for the Country Park that covers everything from coach parking to how people can access the park from all areas.”

The 100-acre park will be criss-crossed with cycle trails and footpaths it is hoped that as much recreational space can be preserved whilst ensuring that sensitive areas for wildlife are strictly protected.

The release of the voles was done by environmental consultants Ecology Solutions in tandem with Derek Gow Consultancy, who have been looking after the water voles at a specialist facility in Devon since they were moved from site in the autumn of 2006.

Dominic Farmer, director of Ecology Solutions, commented: “The return to the voles to their natural habitat in Goole is excellent news. It was important that they were looked after properly in the interim and conditions are now ideal for them to return. During the past nine months, we have carried out extensive monitoring of the site. Clearly we want the vole reintroduction to be a success and we feel the time is now right to do this.”

Mr Croxen added: “We are extremely lucky to have such a wildlife haven on our doorstep. We will be working in conjunction with the local council and other agencies to ensure that the benefits of the country park are widely accessible.”

Capitol Park is a 310-acre development by Junction 36 of the M62, near Goole, which will create 6,000 jobs.