Space park set to be a safe haven for wildlife
EXPLORATION OF UNIVERSE, WITH BENEFITS CLOSE TO HOME
MANKIND’S exploration of the solar system and beyond might be the main idea, but the space park being built by the University of Leicester will also have some added benefits much closer to home.
Between now and the end of next month, the grounds around the £75 million space park development by the River Soar in the city are being planted with more than 2,500 shrubs and trees to improve the area’s biodiversity.
Meanwhile, about 9,000 bulbs will be planted to ensure native woodland plants spring up throughout the area, which will also be sowed with thousands of wildflower seeds, the university said.
The project will help all kinds of animals just by creating a wildlife-friendly zone, but it will also aim to create new habitat for hedgehogs.
Dan Easters, the University of Leicester’s assistant gardens and grounds manager, said: “Turning these areas into a wildlife haven will be great for Space Park Leicester.
“Supporting the local environment is a great way to encourage different habitats to the site.
“We believe that this project will have a really positive impact on both the wildlife population and also the community which surrounds Space Park Leicester.”
The land where the wildlife haven is being created is known as Ellis Meadows, lying just north of Abbey Pumping Station, between the Beaumanor Estate and the River Soar.
The project, which is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, will also aim to transform views of the natural landscape for users of Space Park Leicester and those in homes which surround the riverside site. The site is owned by Leicester City Council, which has agreed to the scheme and the £20,000 native planting project is already well underway. Adam Clarke, the deputy city mayor for environment and transport, said: “The project has helped put Leicester on the map in terms of innovation and technology, and transforming the grounds by hugely improving its biodiversity is a fantastic element. “Much of the area is reclaimed former industrial land which has been vastly improved by the development of the space park, and this latest stage of environmental work will create a haven for wildlife for generations to come.”
The space park will enable collaboration between university researchers and experts in the private sector, creating jobs, building the skills base in the area and contributing to economic growth.
The university is working with Leicester City Council, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership and the National Space Centre on the park, which will support the government’s strategy to bring £40 billion from the space market to the UK, creating a global hub combining research, teaching and innovation.
Space Park Leicester will carry out research in space and Earth observation, and train space scientists. It is estimated 2,500 jobs will be created.
This environmental work will create a haven for wildlife for generations to come
Councillor Adam Clarke