This blog is intended to highlight the potential environmental impact of a proposed development adjacent to the conservation area around Ellesmere.
Ellesmere is a small market town whose pride and joy is a magnificent natural lake which gives the town its name. Surrounding the mere is a beautiful area of woodland, which is a designated conservation area, and provides a place for locals and visitors alike to exercise and enjoy the peace and quiet. This woodland has been enjoyed for generations by a huge number of people from the surrounding area and is a very popular tourist attraction bringing in much needed business to the town during the summer months.
Although there have been developments in the recent past around the mere, including the development of the caravan park for housing, none of these have had the potential impact of the currently proposed development adjacent to the cemetery on Swan Hill. Although there is a current and viable plan for the old dairy crest site just across town which provides for 400 houses, a planning proposal has been submitted for a small parcel of land which at its closest point is only approximately 20 meters from the mere edge as illustrated below.
A map illustrating the proximity to the mere of the proposed development
The same view but this time from Google Maps, note the scale in the bottom left corner
The plan is to build 22 houses on the small triangular field which sits along side the conservation area and the cemetery. This will this utterly destroy the feeling of being in the country whilst walking around the mere, the woodland is at its narrowest point as you follow the path along the border of this field and 22 houses will not only be perfectly visible but also the domestic noise will ruin the tranquility this woodland currently affords. The park will cease to be a park at this point and will feel more like a semi urban foot path with houses lining the path only 15 meters away and clearly visible.
Added to this the peace currently afforded to people visiting the cemetery will be severely impacted and any feeling of privacy lost. We will all end up there one day and we should preserve it for those who may come to remember us.
In terms of conservation, the mere side park is currently, relatively undisturbed with few domestic cats hunting and only dog walkers to disturb the animals who can steer well clear of this threat. The woodland plays host to many ground feeding birds, small mammals and amphibians who in turn support a population of barn owls. Development of this site would render a large tract of the conservation area unusable by these animals and would significantly detract from the mere's value as a destination for visitors.
This field also acts as a barrier to potentially harmful runoff water into the mere, it freely drains into the mere being situated above it and any development of this land would potentially cause harmful pollution of the mere. Given that this is not a running water course any pollution does not simply wash away but will cause problems for wildlife on an ongoing basis.
