Wanlip Wildlife & Ecology Activities

November 2007

Wanlip Village Wildlife & Ecology Policy and Plan.

Introduction.
The village of Wanlip is fortunate to be surrounded by countryside yet close to all amenities and having excellent road links. We have a wide range of habitats including open water, riverside, marsh, woodland, roadside verges, parkland, spinneys and arable and pastoral farmland. The range of wildlife is equally varied with birds being particularly well represented.
The area covered in Wanlip Parish is often a cause for confusion.

• The Wanlip Country Park (Previously the Wanlip Gravel Pits) is actually not in the Parish as it lies beyond the River Soar which forms the boundary at this point. However, the Park’s proximity to the village is an obvious asset in encouraging wildlife to the area in general.
• Another cause for confusion is the fact that part of the original Parish area was transferred by an Act of Parliament to Birstall. This was to allow the Hallam Fields development and the Park and Ride to fall within the Parish of Birstall. Unfortunately this means that previous Wildlife Surveys have to be looked at with care.
• The actual area of the Parish (Previous and present) also comes as a bit of a surprise as it is massive considering the size of the village itself and still extends almost up to Rothley.

Changes within the Parish.
Many of the Wildlife Surveys and notes kept at the Holly Hayes Environmental Resource Centre relating to Wanlip were carried out in response to planned changes within the area. These have included :-

• The creation of the Stonehill and Longslade Schools Campus.
• The construction of the Wanlip Sewage Works.
• The widening/re-routing of the A6 and A46.
• The change of status of the Wanlip Gravel Pits to Country Park.
• Farm closures and new builds.
• The planned Hallam Fields development and Park and Ride site.
• Proposed Industrial development to the north of the Parish.

Some completed developments have obviously damaged/enhanced the environment and ecology of the Parish. The last two elements listed still have the potential to cause further damage due to loss of habitat, greater disturbance and light, noise and atmospheric pollution.
The Policy.
The purpose of the Wanlip and Ecology Policy is to “Preserve, protect and improve the environment and ecology of the Parish through surveying the present: establishing what has been lost and identifying future opportunities and threats.”

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Information can be gathered by:-

• Looking at previous surveys (Held at Holly Hayes) to see what historically we had in the Parish. These include Woodland Surveys(1974); Surveys relating to possible disturbance to wildlife associated with the widening of the A46(1970’s); Bird Life Survey(1982); Field by Field Usage, Bird Species and Mammal Survey(1989); Wanlip Action Plan relating to the Soar and Wreake Valleys(1991) and the Wanlip Parish Summary which indicates various areas of woodland, grassland, marsh etc within the Parish(2003) and Ancient Tree Survey and Hedgerow Survey(2005/6)
• Checking records relating to the Parish at the County Records Office.
• Conducting new surveys within the Parish over a period of time to inform future planning.
• Checking with possible partners such as the Leicestershire Wildlife Trust; the Severn-Trent Water Authority; Local farm owners and Landowners and oral tradition within the village.
• Identifying the most important or sensitive areas within the Parish such as the Wanlip Meadows, the Parkland and various spinneys including the Ice House Spinney.

Once information has been gathered a Wildlife and Ecology Group should work to forward the Policy and inform the Parish Meeting of progress and action required.

The Plan.

To establish a Wildlife and Ecology Group.
This would be a co-ordinating group undertaking the tasks outlined in the Policy and reporting back to the Parish Meeting.
Membership could include the Village Heritage Wardens, Tree Warden, members of the group set up to write the Policy and Plan and anyone else in the Parish who is interested.

To build up a record of what we have within the Parish.
Unless we have a good record of what we have had in the past and what we have now it is difficult to ensure that we don’t lose things in the future. An example of this came to light when the Heritage Wardens did an ancient tree survey. Although all trees in the Parkland have blanket Tree Preservation Orders no specific trees had been identified and those lost have therefore not been replaced.
Members of the Wildlife and Ecology Group and volunteers should:-

• Make copies of existing surveys.
• Conduct new surveys. (The Heritage Wardens receive many ready made survey forms which could be used for this purpose).
• Consider other sources of information such as oral history from local people and records from special interest groups, clubs and societies.
• Make photographic records of the area.

Consideration should be given as to the best method of storage for material gathered and how access can be arranged.

To identify areas of particular interest.
As a small village surrounded by countryside, yet close to large conurbations and developments, we are very fortunate to have so much wildlife on our doorstep. However, areas can be easily spoiled or lost through vandalism (Ryeclose Spinney) or nearby development
(Ice house and Spinney) or in need of preservation (the Parkland). Identification of areas of interest should be identified and a watching brief kept so the Parish Meeting can be informed and action taken if required.

To inform and encourage participation by Parish Members.
This could be done through the Village Newsletter, the Wanlip Village Website, the Village Notice-board, at Parish Meetings as agenda items, at Special Interest Meetings (Invited speakers from the Wildlife Trust, Bat Group, Bird Societies etc) and through organized surveys. Parish members to have a mechanism for reporting matters of concern or interesting sitings. Participation in surveys such as “Butterfly Bounty, Bird Watch, Hedgerow Survey and Spawn Watch” to be widely advertised and material provided for interested parties.

To consider projects that volunteers could undertake and where necessary funding can be obtained from if required.
This could be anything from organised litter-picking; tree, shrub, plant and bulb planting; clearing of overgrown pathways or neglected areas; pond clearing and the creation of new areas to encourage wildlife and improve the environment.

To draw up a timetable for the various elements of the Plan.
This should identify short, medium and long-term aims and a timetable drawn up with projected start and end dates for projects or tasks selected. The minimum number of meetings of the group per year to be decided and the date of the next meeting to be decided as the last item of each meetings agenda.