Inside Salisbury: Council steps up to protect vital habitats with thousands of pounds awarded
A giant step towards the protection of Broken Bridges Nature Reserve in Salisbury
by Annette J Beveridge
THOUSANDS of pounds have been awarded to secure 35 acres of natural habitat by the Salisbury City Council.
The vote to award £50,000 to the Broken Bridges Nature Reserve took place at the Full Council meeting last night (Monday, November 4).
The money will be spent on the purchase as a community asset, and is the natural habitat of water meadows surrounding the right-of-way footpath that links Churchfields and Lower Bemerton with Harnham.
The meadow is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and includes vital habitats such as floodplain meadows, wood pastures, and chalk streams.
Chair of the Broken Bridges Community Interest Company, Councillor Jeremy Nettle, said: “What the City Councillors have done this evening in agreeing to a donation of £50,000 from their Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fund, is to allow us to unlock funding from Wiltshire Council and add this to over £80,000 of public donations, enabling us to secure this fantastic natural resource for this and future generations.”
“The city’s donation comes from a much larger contribution to community infrastructure by developers of the new housing estates along Netherhampton Road. This funding, known as CIL, cannot be spent on day-to-day running costs of the council so does not impact service levels or council tax.”
A Community Interest Company (CIC) is a limited company operating to provide a benefit to the community rather than for private profit.
Cllr Nettle added: “This is a tremendous step forward and we wish to thank both the Council and all the people and groups in the community that have made donations. This is a huge demonstration of the public support for bringing this much-loved area into community ownership. It is a green lung giving people access to nature whilst working to improve the much-needed access between Churchfields, the Railway Station and the new housing developments on Netherhampton Road.
“Once the land has been formerly acquired the work begins in implementing our plans (raising the funds through grants) needed to improve the path, replace fencing and restore the biodiversity lost in recent years. But for now, we just want to say huge thank you to everyone who has supported us!”
For more information about the project or to donate, go to Broken Bridges Nature Reserve Salisbury
