LOCAL builder Jimmy Hill has defended his actions in clearing a possible building site despite upsetting nearby residents in Springfield, Wellington.

Mr Hill said yesterday: “I am doing nothing wrong. I am clearing the area of brambles and rubbish which has been dumped there over a period of years, some by residents in Springfield.

“I used to have planning permission on the site for a block and flats but this did not materialise.

“I intend to reapply for planning permission on the site but I don’t know what for at the moment.

“I don’t know what the residents are complaining about. It is not their land.”

But Riverside resident Gibby Swaine, a music therapist, told the Wellington Weekly News: “I bought my house in Riverside nearly three years ago.

“I love Wellington and everything about it. It seemed the perfect place to move to. The Springfield/Riverside area is community-rich and very special.

“Many of our gardens run down to the leat which fed Fox’s Mill and five us – on the far end – have chosen to cultivate the ends of our long gardens, knowing we didn’t own the land, but making good out of rubble and brambles.

“The street is now horrified to find a digger is tearing down trees and ripping up undergrowth in the wild land at the bottom of our gardens.

“Not only is everyone’s security suddenly threatened but a valu-able wildlife area is being devastated.

“These species, some of which are protected, are regularly seen in this area – slow worms, newts, owls, wrens (nesting now) bats, badgers, snakes and, in the leat, water voles and water rails.

“There has been no consultation or notice given to residents. There is already a huge bonfire of green material which will use fossil fuels to ignite and pollute our area for days if lit.

“I have been advised to ‘put a marker’ on my fruit trees so the bulldozer will see them when he rips through the land we love and care for.”