CALLS for enforcement action have been made after claims a buffer zone requirement to protect woodland near the Dunfermline Learning Campus site has been ignored.

Members of the Save the Calais Woods Wildlife group have expressed their anger that what should have been a 15 metre zone between any development area and the woodland is non-existent in some places.

Martin Willcocks, from the group, said the zones were meant to protect the woodland and while some zones were in place, they were not the required distance.

"The buffer zones are one of the things we had been battling for the last couple of years to ensure there are proper buffer zones," he said. "It is stated on the planning application that a 15m buffer zone should be in place.

"Where they have got their fence positioned is nowhere near that. There is a six to seven metre one and then further down it is nine and further down it is only 10 where the drainage trench is and they have been using the buffer zones for their vehicles as well."

As well as the lack of space between the current infrastructure and enabling works, Martin said the woodlands have now also been flooded as a result of on-going work on the site.

"There is quite a lot of landscaping going on there at the moment and last weekend, there was a report of flooding running out of the south west corner of the site running down Gypsy Lane," he explained.

"This weekend I went up and Shepherd Offshore have put in a drainage trench to act as flood mitigation but it was still flowing and running dirty water into the path and into the water course of the Calais burn so whatever they did was not sufficient.

"They are just carrying on with the work regardless. It is basically bad workmanship not putting a flood mitigation system on a site that size."

The group has also raised concerns over flooding of woodland due to work on the Fife Interchange site next to Amazon where, they say, a pipe has been used to drain excess water into woodland.

Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Alex Rowley has contacted SEPA after hearing the group's concerns and said the planning system seemed to work in favour of developers with little regard for what communities have to say.

"This specific site also has got planning approval despite the number of guidelines it breaks and yet council planners and lawyers use the threat of the Scottish Government overruling decisions when councillors raise concerns and the approvals were simply nodded through," he said.

"The planning system is broken and works against communities not with them."

Head of Fife Council's Planning Services, Pam Ewen, confirmed that potential breaches of planning have been raised with the council.

She added: "We are aware of concerns highlighted by the Calais Wood Wildlife Group and we will investigate any breaches of planning conditions directly with the developer."

A SEPA spokesperson added: “SEPA is investigating whether the Calais Wood site in Dunfermline is compliant with the conditions of its construction site licence, which includes conditions to protect the water environment from any potential pollution impacts.

"The concerns raised by the Calais Wood Wildlife Group around planning conditions are a matter for Fife Council’s planning services.

“We would encourage members of the public to contact us if they suspect any potential pollution of watercourses in the area by visiting www.sepa.org.uk/report or by calling the SEPA Pollution Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”

The Press contacted Shepherd Offshore for comment but they had not responded by the time of going to print.