Beauty spot bid hugely damaging

All the trustees of Friends of Westgate Parks (registered charity 1178364) are strongly opposed to the proposals for Tannery Field [‘Vision to transform city beauty spot’, Gazette, November 4].

It is close to the Bingley Island Nature Reserve and acts as a buffer zone to this area, thus ensuring less disturbance of the wildlife.

It is part of the green open space of the Westgate Parks close to the city which would be lost or badly fragmented with this development.

The wildflower meadow managed by the Friends is a legacy of the £1.1 million Heritage Lottery Fund project which included great improvements to the Toddler’s Cove play area and several other projects.

The destruction of the wildflower meadow would remove an important wildlife habitat particularly affecting pollinating insects, including many species of bees.

This project would destroy the character of the area.

If it is meant to be part of proposals to attract tourism, it would, in fact, more likely become an eyesore for visitors arriving along the Rheims Way.

A skate park would almost inevitably attract antisocial behaviour, which would only add to the problems already experienced in Westgate Parks with drug-users.

The lower part of this area is on a flood plain which regularly floods in winter months and would be unsuitable for any such developments as those proposed.

As regards the pontoon, which is presumably to attract boating of various kinds, we feel that this is a very misguided proposal.

There would be health and safety issues as it would be very close to Toddler’s Cove which has numerous young children using the play area.

However, we are mainly concerned with the impact on the Great Stour itself.

Currently the punting activity has little effect but the attraction of numerous types of boating could have a serious impact on one of the most important chalk streams in Kent.

Chalk streams such as the Great Stour are of conservation concern due to their ecological importance, historical relevance and economic value.

The section from Ashford to Canterbury is designated by the Kent Wildlife Trust as a (nonstatutory) county ‘Wildlife Site’.

However, due to increasing human pressures, many chalk streams are badly degraded.

In collaboration with our local universities and the Environment Agency, one of our trustees has been instrumental in helping to create baseline data necessary for future monitoring of the water quality and thus ecosystem health of the river.

We feel that this project would lead to further degrading of the river and its wildlife.

Maintaining and improving the quality of the river and its biodiversity is one of the vital legacies of the Heritage Lottery Fund project.

The trustees are currently developing a plan for increasing the value of Tannery Field to residents and visitors, one that would be in-keeping with the area’s ecosystems and surroundings.

We feel that the Victoria recreation grounds would be a better site for a skate park as there is already a sports hub there and parking.

Michael Pocock

Secretary, Friends of Westgate Parks

The council’s plan for Tannery Field has attracted criticism