Give your thoughts on the Chester Wetland Centre

The public is being asked what they think about plans to create a unique wetland habitat in Chester’s favourite park.

A consultation is being held on Saturday March 19^th at the Countess of Chester Country Park to get people’s opinion on the proposed Chester Wetland Centre.

Following the launch of the project two years ago at the University of Chester a grant from the Environment Agency (EA) allowed plans for the project to be created.

Partners in the project included the Land Trust, Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Environment Agency; the Chester-based environmental consultancy firm, Binnies have now put together the proposals that will be presented to the public.

Dr Christian Dunn and Andy Scargill who came up with the original idea for the Chester Wetland Centre will be on hand throughout the day to answer questions on the plans, which will see a series of wetland habitats created.

Mr Scargill, who is Chair of the Friends of the Countess of Chester Country Park, said: “This is such an exciting project for the park and for Chester – it will be providing a fantastic facility for people to enjoy and for our wildlife to thrive in.

“We’re looking forward to talking through our plans with people that come along to the public consultation and seeing what ideas they come up with because this really is a community project.”

Dr Dunn, who is from Chester and is a wetland scientist at Bangor University, said: “It’s amazing to see the thoughts that Andy and I had – over a pint – coming together after so many years of planning.

“Wetlands are the most fabulous habitats and it’s going to be so good to bring the Chester Wetland Centre to the Countess Park – it’s going to be a jewel in the crown of Chester’s favourite country park!”

The public consultation starts at 10.30am on Saturday March 19^th at the Countess of Chester Country Park’s Friendly Bench and at the same time there will be a tree planting and wildflower seed sowing event as part of Chester Zoo’s Nature Recovery Project.

For more information, please email friends.coccp@gmail.com.

About the Countess of Chester Country Park

Much of the park is located on a former landfill site next to the Countess of Chester Hospital, which was closed in the 1970s. Thirty years later, the Homes and Communities Agency took ownership, allocated some land for housing and gave 19 hectares to the Land Trust to develop a country park.

It was officially opened on 12th September 2014 by HRH the Duchess of Cornwall and now provides paths and trails for walking, running and cycling, plus a range of habitats for wildlife. The Conservation Volunteers is the managing partner with responsibility for day-to-car care, and further support and funding is provided by a range of other organisations.

About The Land Trust

The Land Trust, which owns the Countess of Chester Country Park, is a national land management charity that provides a cost-effective management solution for open space and green infrastructure. We have around 2,000 hectares of land in our portfolio and use our spaces to deliver positive interventions that provide significant community benefits, including improving health, social cohesion, providing an educational resource and uplifting the local economy, whilst improving and enhancing the natural environment.

For further information visit www.thelandtrust.org.uk

About The Conservation Volunteers (TCV)

Every day TCV works across the UK to create healthier and happier communities for everyone, communities where our activities can have a lasting impact on people’s health, prospects and engagement with outdoor places.

• TCV works together with communities to deliver practical solutions to the real-life challenges they face.
• TCV transforms people’s health: being active outdoors improves people’s mental and physical well-being and brings people together.
• TCV transforms peoples’ prospects: helping people get back to work and improve their economic well-being.
• TCV transforms outdoor spaces: empowering communities to take responsibility for improving their environment.

About the Friends of the Countess of Chester Country Park

The Friends of the Countess of Chester Country Park is a constituted voluntary group who seek to:

• conserve and develop the flora and fauna of the country park
• enhance its amenity value for everyone in the local area, with particular emphasis on its potential benefits for health and value to environmental education and training
• engage local communities in determining the future of the country park and involving them in its activities
• provide an economic benefit for the local community where possible and appropriate

Their values and aims support the management objectives of the landowners and stakeholders and are:

• A commitment to ensuring there are lasting benefits from the Countess of Chester Country Park for the local community and for its wildlife.
• To work with others to enrich and protect the Countess of Chester Country Park and to encourage activities that are in harmony with nature.

Pictured - The proposed site of the Chester Wetland Centre in the Countess of Chester Country Park.