A petition has been set up to stop a housing estate being built on a greenfield site bordering a nature reserve in Ramsey.

Town Commissioner Lamara Craine says Poyll Dooey [pool dooie] is one of the last few open and green spaces, which is a ‘haven’ for residents.

The planning application goes before the committee on Monday (February 26).

Ms Craine hoped it wouldn’t have got to this stage, adding that the salt marsh holds ‘ecological significance’ that can’t be replaced.

She said: ‘I decided to start the petition because I was absolutely flabbergasted that it has got to this point, quite honestly.

‘I would have thought that planning would have recommended that the application be rejected, and I was also disappointed when the Board of Commissioners for Ramsey didn't state any objection to it.

‘Unfortunately I was ill during that meeting and so I couldn’t state any objection myself.’

Ms Craine also emphasised the significance of this area for nature and the town’s ecosystem. She said: ‘The area is fairly sized, but everyone feeds off it together.

‘Species of wildlife won’t know that we’ve drawn a line down the middle and designated one area for reserve and the other for development.

‘Birds, plants, and animals will be going across both areas - it's a wildlife corridor in the middle of Ramsey. It's the last green open space in the town that is relatively flat and accessible.

‘It got to the point where I had to act. I didn’t think I would’ve had to initially, as I thought planning would’ve looked at the application and thrown it away.

‘I have set up the petition which can be found on the Facebook page called “Save Poyll Dooey”. We only have until Friday (February 23) to act on this before the committee on Monday.’