Burlish Meadows under threat

The site provides an important refuge for a range of butterflies, moths and other insects that are now increasingly rare in the countryside as a whole. This includes the nationally scarce White-letter Hairstreak butterfly whose populations have been decimated as a result of Dutch Elm Disease but still survives at Burlish Meadows, one of the few remaining sites in Worcestershire. Caterpillars of the butterfly can only feed on elm trees and the loss of so many trees to disease has also meant the loss of many colonies of White-letter Hairstreaks.

Butterflies and moths generally require well connected habitats and where sites become fragmented they are often the first group of wildlife to suffer. Selling off the site will be hugely detrimental and undo the good work undertaken by Wyre Forest Ranger Service, much of it funded by external grants, involving many other groups including local schools and outside organisations. The local branch of the national charity Butterfly Conservation worked closely with Rangers in developing the site, including the provision of funding for an information board and more recently locally based volunteers from WM-BAMS have undertaken elm planting to ensure that habitat for the White-letter Hairstreak remains into the future.

Mike Williams, spokesperson for WM-BAMS said “the proposed sale of the site is a real kick in the teeth for the Wyre Forest Ranger Service who have worked incredibly hard to transform the site from an abandoned golf course into the wildlife-rich and much loved site we see today. The attempt by the Wyre Forest’s Cabinet to sell off the site is simply appalling and the reasons given do not stand up to any serious scrutiny. To try to make distinctions between the Country Park and the Burlish Top Local Nature Reserve in terms of their wildlife value is simply untrue and to argue that turning the area into artificial football pitches will in some way reduce obesity is a nonsense when so many people are already using the area for walking and healthy exercise.”

He went on “The proposal to dispose of the land is the wildlife equivalent of selling off the family silver. It is an incredibly important site and should be properly valued and retained. There is still time for Wyre Forest Council to reconsider its plans for Burlish Meadows and work with the football club to identify an alternative site for training pitches that does not destroy an important wildlife site”.  

WM-BAMS supports the Friends of Burlish Meadows campaign group in their efforts to save the site and urges the District Council to see common sense and abandon their current plans.