Wildlife havens in Dudley set for cash boost

The cash is from money paid by property developers to be spent on conservation in communities where they are building.

The council is allocating a total of £42,577 to five areas for the improvement of natural habitats.

In Brierley Hill £2,700 is going on the creation of hedges, heathland and ponds with the aim of linking Fens Pool and Barrow Hill with Baggeridge Country Park.

Experts hope the work will help connect populations of amphibians between the sites.

A total of £5,900 is being spent on new grass and heathland at Saltwells Nature Reserve to help the population of invertebrates.

The site is regarded as having increasing importance, other developments include the introduction of disease resistant Elm trees.

Cotwall End and Wren’s Nest are to get £1,900 for heathland extensions and disease resistant Elms to increase the size and diversity of the bug population.

The biggest payout, £23,677, is going to Hawne Wood, The Leasowes and Coombswood for grassland improvement projects.

The canal network in the region provides an ideal link for wildlife from the Halesowen area to the Worcestershire countryside.

Upgrades to grasslands plus new woodlands would add greater diversity for wild plants as well as improving access for members of the public.

Stourbridge’s Norton Covert and nearby fields will be getting new hedgerows following the allocation of £8,400 which will act as corridors for wildlife.

Sandy soil also has potential for the development of more heathland and grasslands and a number of sites in the area are regarded as potential places for designation as Local Nature Reserves.

Work on the projects is expected to take around 12 months to complete.