Telford's nature reserves bid to retain green space

New plans have been revealed by Telford & Wrekin Council which could see a new nature reserve created and another expanded in a bid to help protect fields in the area. Proposals for a new nature reserve in Madeley and an expansion of the existing one in Telford Town Park will be considered by the authority's cabinet at a meeting on Thursday.

Fears had been raised by residents and campaigners for the fate of green and open spaces in the borough due to the need for thousands of homes to built in the are over the next few years.

The Telford Town Park plan was developed with the help of the Friends of Telford Town Park and the Shropshire Wildlife Trust. Volunteers would carry out small scale conservation tasks as part of the management of the site.

Councillor Liz Clare, Telford & Wrekin Council's cabinet member for leisure services and culture, said: "Telford Town Park is central to our aim to ensure that borough residents have green outdoor spaces to enjoy and keep active.

"The thing is what we need to do is to make it so they are properly protected.

"The whole idea is to protect this from being targeted by developers.

"It is no secret we need to build houses so it is key we get proper protection.

"If it is a wildlife nature reserve it is far easier to protect that than an open space and it is a good idea to expand what is we already have because it is easier than to protect in the future.

"Despite all this talk about houses going up everywhere, if you look at Telford it is a very green borough. All the wards have got green space in them and it is part of the attraction for people to come here, people have the town park to go walking for example and it is necessary.

"If you want a nice place to live and a nice place to go, it needs a really good mixture."

The proposal to create a new nature reserve in Madeley has been developed by Madeley Town Council the Madeley Pitmounds Local Nature Reserve Steering Group, a local community group.

The plan would see 44 hectares (109 acres) of distinctive wooded pitmounds, important features of the local landscape, become the Madeley Pitmounds Local Nature Reserve.

As with the Telford Town Park plan, the proposed Madeley reserve would use volunteers to carry out small scale conservation tasks.

Councillor Charles Smith, cabinet member for housing development, said: "I will be advising the cabinet to accept the recommendations in these two reports and to approve the declaration of these areas as nature reserves."