Darwen residents continue fight over Bailey's Field by applying for 'official protection'

People living in Darwen, who only recently set up a Parkland Trust to try to protect Bailey's Field, on Ellison Fold Way, after the council granted planning permission for more than 300 homes on the site, have now applied for protection of the land through Historic England.

Their initial reasons for doing so were to protect Darwen's heritage after a number of mineshafts opened up on the site, but residents also say there is an abundance of wildlife living in the area, including newts, shrews and moles, which are all protected species.

A dead mole on the Baileys Field site

A spokesperson for the Parkland Trust said: "We can confirm that we have formally applied for protection of Bailey’s Field through Historic England, due to the mineshaft that’s appeared.

"The land contains many others like this, and as it’s part of Darwen’s history, we feel it should be preserved to educate the borough’s youngsters, once the land has been made safe."

Baileys Field after JCB went onto the site to cover the exposed mineshaft

Last week, the Trust said that Historic England were planning to visit Bailey's Field in order to make a decision as to whether it should be protected.

The spokesperson added: "The Coal Authority had agreed to hold off filling in the mineshaft until Historic England had visited but as of March 18, the mineshaft had a cover placed on it for safety, with soil on top, but hasn’t actually been filled in.

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"We have had a chat with the UK Coal Authority and they have said that the mineshaft which opened up wasn’t actually on record; they didn’t know how it had opened up; and there are also no records of the underground tunnels that run through the field, meaning it’s probably a big risk for McDermott Homes to go ahead with development.

Baileys Field is up for development

"They are also aware that Historic England are taking an interest in the mineshaft and the field."

The group of residents have also expressed concerns over the number of wildlife species living on the site, with many worried that their habitats will be lost forever if the development goes ahead.

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One Facebook user commented: "It's so wrong. Once our countryside is gone, it's gone.

"I live overlooking the fields, and I know how well used the area is, for dog walking, children etc, and now with the latest discovery of mine holes, who'd want to build on it, total madness."

A dead shrew found on Baileys Field

While another said they had seen a number of dead moles on the site and worried if recent activity had disrupted their living habits.

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Principal project manager of the Coal Authority’s Public Safety and Subsidence team, Mick Owens, said: “On Friday March 5, we received a report of a ground collapse in a field off Ellison Fold Lane in Darwen, Lancashire, and our regional team responded quickly to fence the area and make it safe for the public.

A newt on Baileys Field - one of many species of wildlife living on the site, which developers want to build on

“Investigations have confirmed this incident was caused by historical coal mine workings and will enable a permanent solution to be designed."

A Historic England spokesperson said: “We have received a request for the mineshaft in Bailey’s Field to be considered for listing and will provide advice on the application in due course.”