02 May 2008
New community woodland underway in St Helens
Work has started on creating a new community woodland in St
Helens, as part of one of the country’s biggest green regeneration
programmes.
A team of experts from the Forestry Commission is working on a
former landfill site in the south of St Helens to give the area a
green makeover.
The new Brickfields Community Woodland will include
multi-purpose leisure trails, wildflower meadows and wetland
habitats. The whole site, which lies between Lea Green Road
and Chester Lane, is equivalent to more than 40 football
pitches.
£2.1 million of funding is being provided for the Brickfields
project via the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and
Forestry Commission partnership programme, ‘Newlands’. A number of
local partners, including Ibstock Brick Ltd, The Mersey Forest, St
Helens Council and Groundwork are also involved in the project.
A major operation has just been completed to bring 11,000 tonnes
of earth onto the site so that trees can be planted in areas where
there was previously no covering of soil. Small hills and
other features have also been created, giving the site a more
natural look.
New saplings have been planted and additional landscaping work
will also create hard wearing trails and other elements such as
signage and gates will be installed.
Various groups of local residents are busy helping to design
four new gateway entrances for the site, with help from
Oneninesixtwo Design. 20 different designs reflecting the
history and community spirit of the site will be turned into a
resin brick format and incorporated into clay brick kissing gates,
sourced from the neighbouring Ibstock brickworks. A series of
community design workshops has also been set up by The Mersey
Forest.
Bob Baker of Ibstock Brick Ltd
says:
“The brick theme is being used in the site name to remind everyone
of the industrial heritage of the area, including the present
brickworks next door.
“The original fields were worked for clays and are now being
returned to a green use - amenity woodland for the recreation and
benefit of the local community.”
Later this month more mature trees will be planted on parts of
the site, helping to ensure it is quickly transformed into an
attractive area of woodland. A central avenue of English Oaks
will be created, with some cherry trees and pine trees to provide
variation as people travel from one part of the woodland to
another.
When the scheme is complete, it will provide a much improved
area of green space for local people and visitors to
enjoy.
Simon Brown, Works Supervisor for the Forestry Commission in the
North West, says:
“It’s a real pleasure watching the site changing on an almost
daily basis. When we’ve finished I think 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 regeneration of the site will also benefit the local economy
by helping to improve the image of the area and visually enhancing
the main rail route between Manchester and Liverpool. This will
help to form part of The Mersey Forest in St.Helens, which has seen
the town transformed over the past ten years with the planting of
over 2 million trees so far.
St.Helens Council has completed a St.Helens Town in the Forest
study that identified the importance of regenerating brownfield
sites, such as Brickfields, in helping to secure environmental
improvement, which will enhance the image of St.Helens and help to
secure direct and indirect economic benefits for the area.
Additional work is being planned for 2009, completing the
transformation of the entire Brickfields site.
The plans are part of Newlands, a £59million NWDA-funded land
regeneration scheme, which is rejuvenating around 900 hectares of
the region's brownfield land to encourage economic growth, while
creating new opportunities for leisure and recreation. Newlands,
which stands for New Economic Environments Through Woodlands, is a
partnership scheme involving the NWDA and the Forestry
Commission.
Paul Lakin, Head of Development at the NWDA, said:
“Sustainable development is at the heart of all of the NWDA’s
activities and we are delighted to support the sensitive
development of Brickfields. New community woodland will not only
enhance the environment for local people and visitors, but it will
also raise the area’s profile as a place to invest.”
Additional funding of over £300,000 from EU Objective One via
The Mersey Forest Trust has been secured.
The Brickfields project has also been funded by Biffaward, a
multi-million pound environment fund managed by the Royal Society
of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT), which utilises landfill tax credits
donated by Biffa Waste Services.
Further information about is available at www.forestry.gov.uk/newlands
Ends
For further information please contact Paul Gardner or Jon
Perkins at Osprey Communications on 015394-42436.
Notes to the Editors:
1. A selection of artist’s impressions of how the new
Brickfields Community Forest may look is attached. Higher
resolution versions are available by calling 015394-42436.
2. The Newlands long-term investment for Brickfields is
£2,136,104.
3. Brickfields will be transformed into a community
woodland through a unique partnership of the NWDA and Forestry
Commission as well as a range of delivery partners, The Mersey
Forest; Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority, Cory Environmental, St
Helens Council; Ibstock; NGF Europe and Biffaward.
4. A brownfield site is any land or premises that has
previously been used and is not currently fully in use, although it
may be partially occupied or utilised. It may also be vacant,
derelict or contaminated. A brownfield site is not necessarily
available for immediate use without intervention.
5. Community Woodlands are multi-purpose open spaces that
can be easily accessed by the local community, and can include a
series of small woodlands, footpaths, cycle and bridleways,
football pitches, wetland habitats and a wildflower meadow. Each
site is designed in partnership with the local community to help
improve and enhance the economic, environmental and social value of
the local neighbourhood to work towards a sustainable environment
for everyone.
6. Woodland cover across the North West of England
currently stands at just 6.5% compared with the national average of
8% and a European average of 33%.
7. The Forestry Commission is the largest provider of
countryside recreation in Britain, with responsibility for more
than one million hectares (2.4 million acres) of forest, woodlands
and open countryside. Its North-West England Forest District covers
the Lake District in Cumbria, the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire,
Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The forests are
managed for conservation, wildlife, landscape and recreation as
well as providing a valuable source of timber.
8. £302,976 has been awarded to the project through the
Integrated Countryside and Environment Plan, which is an Objective
One Project part funded by the European Union. The Mersey Forest is
working to deliver ICEP through Community Forestry.
Media enquiries to:
Call Simon Brown (Works Supervisor) on 01606-882167 or 07766
175915 or email: simon.brown@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.
Alternatively, contact Vernon Stockton (Delamere Forest Manager) on
01606-882167 or email: vernon.stockton@forestry.gsi.gov.uk