TurnPike Field Progress

Turnpike Field Progress

A total of 30 people were at the recent Open Meeting to hear a progress report about the field.

Highlights

• A new dog/litter bin has been installed near the pedestrian entrance on Shropshire Street. Another one is planned near the Grey's Bridge entrance;
• 2 benches and 5 picnic tables have now been installed in various places;
• Tree maintenance has now been carried out as per the recent tree surgeon's report;
• An ecological survey was recently conducted by Cheshire Wildlife Trust. Numerous recommendations and advice have been provided that will be detailed in a detailed report in the near future.

Some of the main topics covered by the report are:

• Removal of saplings by the stream to open up the area and encourage wildlife inhabitancy;
• Plant more trees to replenish older trees and encourage wildlife;
• Himalayan Balsam removal at the end of July/August;
• Wildflower meadows;
• Possible creation of a pond;
• Presence of voles – probably bank voles but the existence of water voles cannot be ruled out;
• Field maintenance recommendations.

Green Car Park
A final specification for the works together a planning application is expected to be ready for submission in the next 3-6 months.

Guidelines for using the field
Clearly it's important that appropriate guidelines and conditions for using the field are in place.
One of the working group members has prepared the bare bones of this document which will further developed so to be available for future event organisers.

Charitable Trust
The working group are investigating the setting up of a charitable trust for this community asset which will protect the field and also allow gift aid to be obtained for future donations. This will need to be considered alongside the Playing Field where the Parish Council is working with Fields in Trust.
The total of donations for the field currently stands at £16,800

Other Comments
Given the ecological interest in the field the group agreed it would be beneficial to have an AWEG representative in the group. It was also felt that encouraging youth involvement with the field was very important and that a youth community leader should also form part of the working group. Both these parties will be approached.

Next meeting
The next public meeting will take place before Christmas, dependant on the planning application submission for the green car park.
A full set of the meeting notes can be found on the Turnpike Field website: http://tfra.audlem.org/doc/D400676.pdf

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