THE Talbot Village Trust has pledged to spend more than £1 million restoring and improving its heathland.

It has hit back after criticism from the RSPB aimed at its large residential planning application on land south of Wallisdown Road.

The wildlife charity opposed plans by the land-owning trust to build a substantial development of 450 student flats and 378 homes close to heathland.

Protected heath is home to rare and vulnerable wildlife and conservationists, fearing the effect of a large development nearby, have lodged objections with the planning authority, Borough of Poole.

They have expressed “strong concern” over the proposals to build adjacent to the heath.

However Talbot Village Trust trustee James Gibson Fleming said: “A detailed ecological assessment commissioned by the council concludes that the application is acceptable providing certain mitigations are put in place.

“Various surveys over the past 10 years show that much of the heathland habitat is in decline.

“We intend to substantially restore and improve the heath to the tune of over £1m, introduce a management system and create an additional 26 acres of new heath so it will be much better than before.

“The trust’s ownership of a total of 65 acres of heath will also be transferred to the council with a sum of money to cover its ongoing management,” he added.

Of the proposed 378 homes, 151 (40 per cent) would be affordable housing, 227 family houses and 450 student bed spaces for the nearby Bournemouth University.

The outline application has been in the planning process for nearly 10 years and there have been a number of specialist surveys supplied at the request of the council and Natural England.