CONCERNS have been raised about peregrines currently nesting on an iconic Poole building in light of a planning application to demolish it.

Chief executive of Fortitudo, Richard Carr, said he was “testing the water” to see if council planners would allow the Barclays House building to be demolished.

However, Birds of Poole Harbour have said it needs to be “managed carefully” and said it was against the law to disturb active nests for schedule one species.

Paul Morton, trustee of Birds of Poole Harbour said: “There are other buildings they have been interested in, Barclays was actually second choice, they were much more interested in the tall block of flats adjoined to the Asda at Holes Bay.

“There are ways of managing it and ways of encouraging them to nest at different sites, putting out nesting trays if there’s a suitable location.

“We don’t know what the timeline is with the planning application, but we still want them in Poole.

“People have a huge amount of admiration for these outstanding birds of prey, they deserve to be here.”

Read more: Barclays to leave Barclays House in Poole after 46 years

Mr Morton said there was three different pairs of peregrines in Poole and the charity were yet to discuss its approach to the application.

He continued: “The law, which is not to be changed for anybody, is during breeding season, which is late March to early August, nobody is allowed to interfere at all with an active nest.

“We will make it clear they are a schedule one bird. Of course, it would be quite nice if that building was to disappear the developer would consider installing a peregrine nesting tray on whatever replaces that building, but it needs to be managed very carefully.”

Speaking of the application, Mr Carr told the Daily Echo: “We have not acquired the site but we are testing the water with the local authority as to what their view is.

“Most developers would not do it this way but we are entrepreneurial in our approach.

“Quite clearly, I don’t think from an economical sense that it can be converted. The only way we could go forward with making a bid on it would be if the local authority accepts it being demolished.”

Barclays, which is vacating the site by the end of the year, has instructed the sale of the property on an unconditional basis and it is currently on the market.

The future use of the existing building or any redevelopment proposals would be down to its new owner and BCP Council as the planning authority.