Badgers delay £30 million development

The development of £30 million headquarters for the Lawn Tennis Association has been disrupted by a family of badgers.

Work was well under way on the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton when contractors realised the animals had moved in and started building setts for the mating season.

They promptly downed tools because badgers and their habitats are safeguarded under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. Now the builders will have to wait until July, after the baby badgers have been born, before they can consider returning to work.

And before they do, they will have to apply to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs for permission. The site is next to woodland known for its abundance of badgers which have already caused the LTA plenty of headaches.

Before getting planning permission from Wandsworth council the LTA had to identify where the badgers forage for food, create a wildlife corridor on site along which the creatures could travel in peace, and build an artificial sett to house displaced badgers.

Work finally began in September - but then the badgers decided to relocate-Their new home is on the planned site of a road within the complex, so work on the main building can continue. LTA spokesman Kris Dent said: "We've always known about the sett. We can't work on the car park until July, but we can work elsewhere."

A Wandsworth council spokesman said: "The LTA has always acted responsibly to protect these badgers." The centre, which will have 22 courts, should be finished next year.