Green Guarantee site funding rolled out
Telford & Wrekin Council has approved the protection of 96 sites from development as part of the second round of its Green Guarantee scheme.
In addition to protected status, the top 50 sites are also set to receive a share of £50,000 of funding through the legacy fund to make improvements.
The enhancements are being delivered in two phases, the first of which has already begun and includes amenity sites and allotments.
The second phase includes open access sites with biodiversity interest such as woodlands and green spaces, which are able to explore ‘match funding’ opportunities to deliver a wider range of site enhancements.
Allotment Associations, Parish Councils and TWC’s Neighbourhood Services Team are working with Telford & Wrekin Council to deliver the enhancements.
Examples of requests so far include for play equipment and additional benches with other options including wildflower planting, bird and bat boxes or access enhancements.
Councillor John Minor, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure, Green Spaces & Parks, said: “Thank you to all the people who are as passionate about green spaces as we are and took part in the Big Green Vote earlier this year.
“We’ve already been in contact with Parish Councils and TWC Neighbourhood services to work out what each site is hoping to achieve and we’re working closely to make sure sites are enhanced in ways that benefit the communities they surround.”
Signage displaying each Green Guarantee sites’ protected status is set to be installed before the New Year.
Combined, these areas exceed the Council’s Green Guarantee commitment in the Telford and Wrekin Local Plan to safeguard green spaces valued by local communities for the wildlife they support and the positive impacts, access to these sites can have upon health and wellbeing.
The top 50 sites which were decided upon during ‘The Big Green Vote’ – a public consultation where residents chose their favourite sites through a voting system.
When voting closed, votes were tied at 50th place so an additional £2,000 has been made available for the two sites.
It is hoped that the new protected status of sites under the Green Guarantee will support Friends and other volunteer groups in bids for future funding with support available from council officers and Telford’s Green Space Partnership.
Full details of the sites can be found in Appendix E listed here and for details of volunteering groups or opportunities visit www.volunteertelford.co.uk
Pictured: This Green Guarantee site in Sutton Hill is a typical example of an urban green spaces protected under the scheme
