• Wolborough Fen is one of Devon's most important wetlands and a Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserve.
• It is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its unique and complex spring fed habitat that supports rare wildlife.
• A forthcoming public inquiry will examine whether planning conditions set in place to protect the Fen have been met by the developers of a nearby housing development.
• Devon Wildlife Trust is working with the Wolborough Residents’ Association. 

Wolborough Fen is one of the finest remaining valley fens in south-west England. it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its rare wetland habitats and wildlife, including plants and plant communities rarely found elsewhere in Devon. 

The Fen is special. In an area of groundwater springs nestled at the edge of Newton Abbot, the South Devon countryside abruptly gives way to a wetland mosaic habitat unique in our area. The plant communities often defy standard categorisation: part far-flung heathland outpost, part rare and exotic fen, plus more and every blend between, it is one of our botanical treasures.  

The conditions that exist here have taken thousands of years to create – supporting a richness of nature including regionally and nationally important plants and plant communities, such as Marsh Fern, Sphagnum mosses, and a population of fragrant Bog-myrtle which spans most of the Fen. The Fen is the last remaining site in Devon for Saw-sedge, also known as Great Fen Sedge, a species that is very scarce in most of England and more at home in East Anglia. These special wetland habitats in turn supports an abundance of insects, birds and other wildlife.

Wolborough Fen depends on an extraordinary natural water system. Rainwater slowly filters through the surrounding landscape before emerging as springs that feed the Fen. Some springs are rich in minerals from the underlying rocks, while others are naturally acidic. This unusual combination has created a delicate balance over thousands of years, producing the rare habitats that support specialist plants and wildlife found together nowhere else in Devon.  

Once damaged, these complex wetland habitats are impossible to restore. Once the underlying hydrological supporting conditions are lost, then so are the habitats. As custodians of the Fen, Devon Wildlife Trust has a responsibility to protect this remarkable place for future generations. 

In 2020 outline planning permission was granted for the major “NA3” housing development of 1,200 homes on land close to Wolborough Fen, subject to strict conditions to ensure the hydrology of the Fen would not be harmed. It was recognised that the development site is crucial for feeding the aquifer that the Fen depends on for its groundwater supply, and that without appropriate evidence-based mitigation the new impermeable surfaces could compromise the Fen. Because of its great importance and delicate vulnerability, the Planning Inspector ruled that protecting the wellbeing of the Fen is the “over-riding concern”.  

Unfortunately the site’s developers have since submitted planning applications that pose a great risk to the Fen. These involve inappropriate drainage schemes that go directly against previous recommendations that the developers themselves had accepted. Independent hydrogeological experts have identified major flaws in the evidence the developers submitted with the plans. 

In recognition of the danger the proposals posed to the Fen, Teignbridge District Council refused two planning applications in December 2024, against which the developers lodged appeals. In 2025 the council was forced to serve an unprecedented Temporary Stop Notice against developer Vistry after the company ignored one of the refusals and started developing the site anyway. A third application, to discharge a key planning condition protecting the Fen, was submitted in September 2025, and the developers launched another appeal earlier this year as the council had not given a decision. The council now agrees the third application is also unacceptable and says it would have refused it.  

All three appeals will be decided through a Public Inquiry starting from the 4^th-12^th of August 2026. This will be held in Teignbridge District Council’s headquarters at Forde House, Newton Abbot. Because of our central role, Devon Wildlife Trust and Wolborough Residents’ Association are participating as a main party to the inquiry, making the case alongside the council that these appeals should be dismissed. 

The inquiry is not about whether new homes are needed. Devon Wildlife Trust recognises the importance of providing homes for local communities. The key question is whether the developer has demonstrated, with sufficient evidence, that the proposed mitigation measures will fully protect Wolborough Fen and prevent irreversible harm to this nationally important wetland. 

At the heart of the inquiry is a simple but important question: can the developer demonstrate that the proposed housing development will not harm the unique water system that sustains Wolborough Fen? 

Wolborough Fen exists because of an extraordinary natural water system. Rainwater slowly soaks into the ground across a wide surrounding area before emerging naturally through springs that feed the wetland. As it travels through the rocks beneath the landscape, different flows of water are enriched with varying amounts of minerals. These water types emerge at different points inside the Fen, creating the precise combination of conditions that has allowed peat to form over thousands of years and supports the full variety of rare plants, plant communities and wildlife for which the Fen is protected. The very rarest plants, such as Saw-sedge, are understood to be dependent on the most highly enriched groundwater that has travelled for longest through the rock. 

Development has the potential to alter this finely balanced system. Replacing fields with roofs, roads and other hard surfaces changes the way water moves through the landscape by blocking the natural soaking of water into the ground, reducing the amount of groundwater available to feed the Fen. What happens to this large quantity of intercepted water is crucial, and if the development’s drainage scheme fails to replicate the natural hydrological processes then the quantity and quality of water reaching the Fen is at risk.   

Because the Fen depends on such a delicate balance, even small changes to the amount, timing or chemistry of the water reaching different parts of the Fen could have significant consequences. They could alter the conditions needed for peat to form, allow more common plants to replace the Fen's specialist species and gradually damage the rare habitats that make Wolborough Fen nationally important. 

Because of these risks, the outline planning permission includes strict conditions requiring the developer to demonstrate that the development will not adversely affect the Fen's integrity.  

The existing expert recommendation was for the development to have infiltration drainage features scattered evenly throughout the site to allow rainwater to percolate into the rock as close as possible to where it falls. This includes further away from the Fen, to ensure the vital supply of chemically enriched groundwater which needs a longer travel time underground. Despite previously agreeing with this approach, the developers are now instead proposing to have infiltration drainage features only immediately next to the SSSI, radically changing the hydrology of the area.  

Based on independent expert advice Devon Wildlife Trust and the Wolborough Residents Association believe that the developers have failed to produce the necessary evidence to show that the Fen would be protected. On the contrary, their current proposals pose a serious risk to the SSSI. The inquiry will consider that evidence before deciding whether the planning conditions have been satisfied.

Devon Wildlife Trust has raised concerns about proposals affecting Wolborough Fen since the site was first identified for development in the Teignbridge Local Plan. 

Throughout the planning process we have worked with the Wolborough Residents Association and independent specialists to understand the potential impacts on the Fen and to identify solutions that would better protect this nationally important habitat. 

We are not opposed to development wherever it happens. We recognise that Devon needs new homes. However, new development must be planned in ways that genuinely avoid or prevent damage to irreplaceable habitats. Where nationally protected wildlife sites and protected species are involved, the law requires robust evidence that they will not be harmed. 

Our involvement in this case reflects our responsibility as custodians of Wolborough Fen nature reserve and our wider commitment to ensuring that legal protections for nature remain meaningful. 

We will continue to work constructively with local communities, experts and decision-makers to secure the best possible future for Wolborough Fen and the wildlife that depends upon it. You can help by:  

• Supporting Wolborough Fen Residents Association in the upcoming planning inquiry
• Keeping informed as the case progresses through our fortnightly e-newsletter for Devon Wildlife Trust supporters – you can sign up here

1970 – Wolborough Fen becomes a Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserve. 

1990 – Wolborough Fen designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). 

2014 – Land allocated for development within the Teignbridge Local Plan. 

2017 – Outline planning application submitted. 

2020 – Outline planning permission granted by Secretary of State subject to conditions. 

2023 – Developers adopt recommendation to maximise infiltration drainage throughout development to protect Fen into Design Code 

2024 – Developers go against recommendations and submit first planning applications with no infiltration drainage 

December 2024 – Teignbridge District Council refuses two applications without infiltration drainage 

February 2025 – Developers launch first appeals against the Council 

March 2025 – Vistry begins works in areas where planning permission had been refused 

April 2025 – Teignbridge District Council serves Temporary Stop Notice against Vistry ordering unlawful works to cease immediately 

September 2025 – Developers submit application to discharge condition protecting Fen, proposing infiltration drainage only immediately next to SSSI against recommendations. DWT objects. 

February 2026 – Appeal hearing taken place into first two appeals, decision to transition to public inquiry. Developers lodge third appeal against council. 

4th of August 2026 – Public Inquiry into the appeals begins with Devon Wildlife Trust and Wolborough Residents’ Association as full participants.