TELFORD

House building targets for Telford are massive. This is the second fastest growing town in Britain, facing a potential 51% population growth by 2024.

The continuous loss of Telford's green space to development is bad news not just for the town's wildlife, but also for the people who live there and even the town's economy. Enormous pressure is being put on the area as Telford has been targeted as one of the main growth areas for the West Midlands. It is anticipated that 1000 new houses each year will be built up until 2021. As well as housing, this will inevitably entail further development in the way of roads and other associated infrastructure.

Telford New Town's extraordinarily imaginative development plan integrated wild landscapes into a new town as never before in the UK - or perhaps since. Its intricate, spacious green network is not just an environmental asset, it's an economic one too, providing tranquil and pleasant surroundings to live and work in and 45 miles of footpaths to enjoy among fields, hedgerows, canals, ponds, heathland and woods. And it's singing with wildlife.

The challenge that lies ahead is to plan carefully where development can take place and where it must not. Green space is treasured because it brings people in touch with wildlife and wild places on a daily basis where they live and is also recognized as economically valuable, as a pleasant environment helps attracts business to the area.

Telford Town Park consultation
Have your say on how the Town Park should be managed - www.telfordtownpark.co.uk

Priorslee Balancing Lake
The lake and its surrounding habitat has been designated a Wildlife Site for its bird populations. It supports more than 65 over-wintering bird species and 110 throughout the year. The rich birdlife thriving here is currently threatened by proposals to build 600 new houses, a hotel and a road.

Allscott Sugar Factory
One of Shropshire's richest bird areas is facing an uncertain future, with the closure of Allscott sugar factory this February. The 17 lagoons and six reed beds have attracted at least 182 species, including numerous passage migrants, both common and rare. It is valuable for breeding birds too, with 81 species recorded nesting. Telford springs numerous wild surprises throughout its green network, none more special than this marvellous area of wetland and wilderness.

The settling ponds are a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), so legal protection will ensure that their future is carefully addressed. Shropshire Wildlife Trust has written to British Sugar expressing an interest in purchasing the 47-hectare site and securing its future as a nature reserve.

 
The following Telford-related articles can be downloaded here:

• New Directions: a future for Telford's green space
• Telford Town Park article from Shropshire Wildlife magazine Summer 2006