A new Local Nature Reserve is about to join the extensive network of green spaces in Telford, eventually bringing the final total to 15.
By Thomas Cox
Who doesn’t enjoy a stroll in beautiful landscape?
No one – that’s who. And for that reason protecting beautiful landscapes is an important part of improving people’s health and wellbeing
That’s why the news that Dawley Pools and Pit Mounds is to be one of a number of proposed Local Nature Reserves is an exciting one for us.
The new Local Nature Reserve will connect a network of sites including Lightmoor to the west and Rough Park to the south creating a ‘green corridor’.
The area will include wooded pit mounds and pools including Castle Pool and The Dandy to the north, a collection of pools to the south including Wide Waters and Furnace Pools and Sprynge Pool to the south west.
Dawley is in the perfect location for a reserve with lots of wildlife and peaceful areas for healthy walking and fishing with easy access for residents living nearby.
This new reserve, is one of seven adopted by Telford & Wrekin Council since 2016 as part of the Council’s commitment to support health and wellbeing by protecting green spaces in the borough.
Once legally declared, the new Local Nature Reserve will add a further 38 hectares of protected green space to the other 14 reserves, bringing the total to around 515 hectares – that’s just over 8,000 tennis courts.
Dawley Pools and Pit Mounds boasts some hidden beauty spots along the green network. The area was once an area of spoil heaps, clay pits and a hive of industry.
It will also create opportunities for groups such as the newly established Friends of Dawley Pools, Telford Green Space Partnership and the Telford Woods’ Partnership to provide social, craft and training activities that enrich their lives and boost people’s confidence and wellbeing.
Being a Local Nature Reserve means the land’s natural features will be protected from development along with the diverse and thriving populations of bats, Great Crested newts and a rare aquatic plant called Mare’s Tail, which only grows in this area of the borough.
Before an Local Nature Reserve is formally declared, a number of steps must be completed including consultation with Natural England, creating management plans and carrying out legal checks which can be a lengthy process.
Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet will meet on January 3 to officially adopt the reserve.