Proposal for wildlife meadow at Bognor Regis rec is backed
Arun councillors have backed further work on a proposed wildlife meadow at Larksfield Recreation Ground, despite concerns about dog-walking access and the council’s long term control of the land.
The Policy and Resources Committee voted seven to three, with one abstention, to progress the Bognor Regis site to the next stage by preparing a Habitat Management Plan.
A separate recommendation to carry out further market testing of the cost of establishing and managing the habitat bank was approved unanimously.
The decisions made at the committee’s meeting on October 22 do not give final approval of the project. Officers are expected to return to the committee with further details before members make a final decision, and another public consultation is also planned.
The proposed scheme would create a lowland meadow to generate biodiversity net gain units, which developers can buy to compensate for habitat lost through construction.
During the meeting, Councillor Shirley Hayward questioned whether the meadow could restrict dog walking or require fencing and whether allowing public access would reduce the number of biodiversity units the site could produce.
The council’s Habitat Banking Project Officer said the purpose of preparing the management plan was to establish how the scheme could work alongside the site’s existing recreational use.
Councillor Keir Greenway raised concerns that a long-term legal agreement could limit the council’s ability to control how the land is used over the next 30 years.
He said he ‘remained sceptical’ about the project and did not think it would be sensible to continue without further testing of the market.
Officers said the council would not lose control of the land but it would change how it is managed over the next 30 years.
Concerns about access, dog walking, habitat design and long-term management were also raised during the consultation.
Officers said these issues would be explored in detail through the management plan and that a final design has not yet been proposed.
The council has previously found a shortfall of more than 200 biodiversity units across current planning applications in the district.
They said the scheme could improve wildlife habitat and help fund the long-term management of green space.