Group wins battle for Parkgate land

Oct 14 2009 by Carrie Catterall, Heswall News

A SPECTACULAR piece of Parkgate land has been transferred to community management after a three-year campaign.

The Friends of Park Fields, a local resident's group, have finally won their battle to manage the 29-acre field which is part of Park Fields in Parkgate.

Cheshire West and Chester Council are currently in the process of signing the land over to the group which was formed in 2007 with the aim of preserving the beauty of the open space.

The land, previously leased for grazing, sits adjacent to the Wirral Way and has stunning views across the Dee Estuary to Wales.

The committee, which includes an environmentalist from Liverpool University, is now committed to developing this bio-diverse ecological area for future generations to enjoy.

Chris Try, Friends of Park Fields’ secretary, said: “We are absolutely delighted we have been given this land because it’s a very beautiful spot which is used by a lot of local people.

“We’ve been campaigning about this for such a long time and a lot of hard work has gone into achieving this outcome.

“As well as maintaining the character of the land we now intend to encourage new species of small mammals, birds and invertebrates to come to the area by re-laying and repairing hedging, planting native trees and encouraging wild flower areas.

“Liverpool University students and local schools have already expressed their interest in being involved in educational and environmental studies on the land, which makes this project even more special and worthwhile.”

The Friends of Park Fields will hold their third annual general meeting on Thursday in the Neston Civic Hall, at 7.30pm.

Members of the public are invited to attend the session and anyone interested in joining the group can contact Chris on 336 7472.