Kiln Meadow Consultation

Please note, this consultation has now closed.

Ipswich Borough Council has saved Kiln Meadow, a piece of land just south of the town, for wildlife and is now seeking views on its future status.

The Council's Executive agreed in November 2011 not to sell the 4.25-hectare site to developers. Kiln Meadow, which provides a refuge for toads and dormice, lies just north of the A14 and is bordered by Spring Wood and Millennium Wood local nature reserves and by grassland. It is also adjacent to the Thorrington Park housing development.

Outline planning permission for houses to be built on Kiln Meadow had been granted by Babergh District Council but this has expired. Now, the Borough Council has signalled a firm "no" to the bulldozers and opted to save it from development.

There are now four possible options for its future status and Council Leader David Ellesmere says he is seeking the views of residents and other interested parties before a report goes back to Executive in March. 

"We were pleased to step in and save Kiln Meadow after talking to many groups, including Friends of Belstead Brook Park, Ipswich Wildlife Group, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the RSPB. Now we have to decide what happens to the site. We have four options for people to consider and I do hope people will get involved in this consultation. Their views are very important."

Option 1 - Declare the land as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR), to be managed in perpetuity for the benefit of wildlife and local people.

This option offers a positive future for the land in terms of its wildlife value and the opportunity for local people to enjoy the special wildlife there. It would also be possible to plant a small community orchard to enhance the site. Much work would be done by volunteers from wildlife groups. The Council was the first in the country to declare five LNRs at once in 1995 and then another four in 2005. 

Option 2 - To investigate use as a more formal public open space 

This option would potentially allow a wider range of recreational activities on the land, although there will be limits due to the County Wildlife Site status and the Council's duty to protect the wildlife value of the site. More formal areas will also require more management and expense.

Option 3 - A combination of Local Nature Reserve and more formal public open space

This option would potentially allow some parts of the site (for example, to the west of the bridleway) to be used for more formal recreational activities, while other areas would be declared as a Local Nature Reserve. While some additional recreational benefits could be gained, it could compromise the wildlife value of the site to some extent as habitats are spread throughout the site.

Option 4 - Do nothing

The land could simply be left unmanaged other than the removal of litter and periodic safety checks. This option would have limited benefits to local wildlife and might not benefit local people if no public access was permitted other than via the existing bridleway.

A map can be downloaded below, which shows the area of land under consideration:

• Plan of Kiln Meadow
  

Please indicate your preferred option from those listed above and add any additional comments you wish to make.

You can send in your comments by email to kilnmeadow@ipswich.gov.uk. The closing date for the consultation is Friday 17th February 2012.