TV personality and wildlife expert Chris Packham has waded into a row over a proposed multi-million pound development at Old Sarum Airfield.

The BBC Springwatch presenter said to dismiss the site as not holding any significant wildlife was "nonsense", adding the land was  “incredibly important” and “worth fighting for” because there were so few undeveloped sites left.

Old Sarum Airfield Ltd director Grenville Hodge has said surveys have shown the site has “limited” ecological value and that in developing the site they would be improving its value.

But Packham, who lives on the edge of the New Forest, said: “I’ve never heard such nonsense as areas of natural, undeveloped land being devoid of life.

“Maybe they lack vast herds of wildebeests or elephants, or even most modest species such as deer but I can assure you categorically that such environments are thriving ecological communities and as such are incredibly important places, resources and reserves. As such they need protecting, every last one of them is worth fighting for...because there are so few left.”

Plans are due to be submitted to Wiltshire Council by the airfield at the end of the month and involve hundreds of homes and aircraft hangars as well as a visitor and conference centre and a new restaurant.

An online petition started by Mark Uffindell of Manor Farm Road, Ford, campaigning against the development has attracted almost 700 signatures on change.org.

The former parish councillor said people were concerned about issues ranging from the airfield’s future as an active airfield and fears over increased traffic to the risk of increased flooding.

“This is about a very special environmental corridor to the north of Salisbury which has got a huge amount of value,” he said.

“Mr Hodge thinks people are going to buy their houses and enjoy watching planes flying in but it isn’t going to happen, they will complain about the airfield’s noise – he can no more guarantee the airfield will stay open then we can guarantee it will close.

“I wrote to Chris Packham who kindly allowed me to quote from him for our online petition.”

Old Sarum Airfield Ltd director Grenville Hodge said that in developing the site they would be improving the ecological value.

“We have had an ecological survey done, in fact we have had three, but because of the nature of the ground there, there is limited ecological value.

“It’s one of the benefits we will be bringing – we will plant a lot of trees and landscape the area. In Area A there will be an attenuation pond.

“We are working as hard as we can to get everything done on time, taking into consideration issues that have been raised, and we are looking at submitting at the end of the month.”