Poignant photos of deer wandering inside development on former Akzo Nobel site

Date published: 22 September 2023

You’d be forgiven for thinking these thought-provoking images of roe deer were taken on the set of a post-apocalyptic film – but this is the very real sight that wildlife photographer Andrew Lupton snapped on the former Akzo Nobel site in Littleborough recently.

Once home to the Akzo Nobel chemical works – famous for manufacturing paint and performance coatings – the site has remained abandoned since September 2004 when the company ceased local operation.

The site was sold two years later to Woodford Land and the factory was demolished in 2008. The land changed hands, becoming owned by Countryside Properties, which was granted planning permission in 2015.

Several planning applications for houses on the site have been made in the 19 years since then, with nothing coming to fruition until after Homes England acquired the Akzo site in 2017.

Homes England bought the land – which was contaminated by asbestos and other harmful chemicals – for £10m in order to clean it up for future developers.

Home England appointed then-Vistry Partnerships (now Countryside Partnerships) to develop the brownfield land, with planning permission for 126 houses granted in March 2023. The site purchase to Countryside Partnerships and Together Housing Group was completed two months later.

Work to prepare the site started this summer with the first homes expected to be available in 2024.

Plans to redevelop the site have long proven controversial in the Pennines village.

There has been fierce opposition from locals, with objectors raising concerns over flood risks, contaminated land, increased traffic and unmapped mine works – and now fresh concerns for wildlife have been raised through Andrew’s photos.

In the photos taken on 12 September, several deer can be seen inside the security fencing on their former home.

He said: “The deer in the photos are the ones that used to live on the site, but now the site has been cleared, they’re still gaining access.

“I'm not against this new build as it’s on a brownfield site, but I am concerned for the welfare of the wildlife. I would have thought the boundaries would be ringfenced to prevent the deer from returning to their once home, as it is they are still getting on the site.”

Mr Lupton continued: “The perimeter fence is the original that's been there for years, with little evidence of improvement since they started the groundwork. I found half a dozen openings where the deer have easy access due to being broken or damaged.

“I know deer could jump the fence, but not the young deer who were born this year. Surely this is a health and safety problem? I did raise this with the council and they are apparently happy with the fence. There’s also a newly dug crater and I worry if the deer jump in, they wouldn’t be able to get out.”

Littleborough Lakeside Councillor Tom Besford said he had raised the issue of the fence with the council, saying: “Council officers have come back that the heras fencing provided around the site is in line with the planning requirements and that the planning authority would not be able to require developers to take additional measures to prevent wildlife accessing the site. However, if there are wildlife crimes occurring, this would be a police matter.”