Brickfields £2m Makeover Well Underway
Sutton Beauty uncovers evidence of supersized moles at the Brickfields site!
11,000 tonnes of earth have been moved onto the site (photographed 15th March '08)
In May more mature trees will be planted in Brickfields, so that we won’t have to wait too long for a decent sized woodland when the work is completed early next year. A central avenue of English oaks is to be created along with some cherry trees and pines in order to provide variation for folk like me who tend to wander from one area of woodlands to another!
Simon Brown is the Works Supervisor for the Forestry Commission in the North West and says:
It’s a real pleasure watching the site changing on an almost daily basis. When we’ve finished local people are going to be really pleased with the results. There will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to enjoy the outdoors, whether it’s walking the dog, cycling or running. The project also includes a 20-year management plan so people can be confident that this new woodland will be kept in good condition.
The latter is especially good news as it’s so easy for sites to deteriorate and become dumping grounds. Sutton Mill Dam is an unfortunate example. However, the Forestry Commission and their chums at Mersey Forest do have a good track record for keeping sites they manage in good nick. Completion of the project, by the way, is expected to be in March 2009. Sutton Beauty will be updating with regular progress reports.
CLICK AN IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW
Brickfields Community Woodland - Sutton Manor - St.Helens - Sutton Beauty
Brickfields Woodland Project Approved
St.Helelens Council's planning committee approved the plans in November 2007 with certain conditions, which don't seem to have been put into the public domain as yet. (See this and this post). The St.Helens Star have today finally covered the story, click Here to read. Sutton Beauty has been covering it for thirteen whole months, by the way! The revisions made to the original plans have meant that the schedule has been delayed, so work will now begin in February 2008 with completion expected in March 2009.
Brickfields Community Woodland Update
The proposals include several walking and cycling trails, bridges, nature areas and an eye-catching hill top feature that's intended to become a focal point for the site. The revised plans will be considered at a meeting of St.Helens Council's planning committee on November 6th.
A list of tree, shrub and hedgerow species for planting has just been released. It's very comprehensive and includes English Oak, Silver Birch, Rowan, Ash, Hazel, Wild Cherry, Hawthorn, Holly, Yew, Field Maple, Scots Pine, Dog Rose, Blackthorn, Common Buckthorn, Broom and Wayfaring Tree. A full list can be viewed HERE.
An artist's impression of the project - click for a larger view and an aerial photograph of the Brickfields site as it is now
As there's been some misinformed criticism of the funding for the Manor's Big Art Project, it's worth mentioning the sources for Brickfields. The North West Development Agency are providing £2.1 million of regeneration funding to transform the site, with cash also coming Biffaward, a multi-million pound environment fund managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. An additional £302,976 has been awarded through the Integrated Countryside and Environment Plan (ICEP), which is an Objective One Project part funded by the European Union. The good folks at Mersey Forest are working to deliver ICEP through Community Forestry.
The work on the site was scheduled to begin on Monday but will no doubt commence when planning permission comes through. When completed the stakeholders envisage Brickfields becoming a valuable area of green space for Sutton locals and visitors to enjoy. This website will be keenly monitoring the project's progress.
Brickfields Community Woodland Plans
An astonishing 40 documents have been submitted by the Forestry Commission and its partners as part of the planning application to St. Helens Council. You can access them HERE although the 28 page Forest Design Plan (.pdf) interested me the most. Very comprehensive with particularly interesting information on the history of the site.
The land currently consists of some woodland, scrub and grassland but is somewhat derelict and neglected. The intention is to create new woodland, wildflower areas and other habitats to expand the biodiversity of Brickfields. There will be active management of habitats as well as “enhanced recreation provision” plus new access routes with entrances secured by “kissing gates”. The kissing gates (nice name!) are intended to exclude motorbikes, which do often spoil my walks in the woodland in Sutton Manor.
Looking out to the northwest of the site and the Cory Lord St.Helens landfill
The landfill site at Cory Lord St.Helens is expected to come into the scheme once filling operations end later this year. I wonder if the rocks in the centre of the site - which I so often repose on - will remain? There’s no mention of these but benches will be provided for weary folk like me to rest on. The work will start on the 26th October 2007 and run to the beginning of March 2008.
It's almost 18 months since soil sampling notices first appeared on the site and a lot of work has clearly been done in the meantime. The proposals look tremendous and with the newly created woodland at Sutton Manor (plus forthcoming Big Art Project) just across the way, it sounds like another welcome improvement to our environment in Sutton.
Brickfields (Ibstock) Update
Last year the Forestry Commission undertook soil and water sampling to ascertain whether it was suitable for an extensive woodland. This morning I've received an email from Angiolina, an environmental scientist working for the Commission who reports that tests have proved positive and work on creating a woodland is expected to begin in April. The stakeholders in the project, who have only recently approved the designs, are having their next meeting in mid-March and I've been promised an update then. Excellent news!
There should be many more trees soon in Brickfields