Hoylake: Green Belt and Greens - Radio 4

Richard Smith, Helen Mark and Hilary Ash

Dr Hilary Ash, Hon. Conservation Officer for Wirral Wildlife, was asked to take part in the Radio 4 programme Open Country. The subject was ‘Hoylake: Green Belt and Greens’.

The details are below and the programme is available on the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07qbl5p

Open Country: Hoylake: Green Belt and Greens

BBC Radio 4 - Thu 01 Sept at 15:02

A new golf resort has been proposed for Hoylake in Wirral. Helen Mark explores how this will affect the local green belt and the birdlife and wildlife that live there.

The programme features Cllr Gerry Ellis, Andrew Needham from the CPRE, John Hutchinson from the Hoylake Golf Resort Committee, botanist Dr Hilary Ash, Richard Smith, David Stacey, and Craig Gilholm from the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

Some of the 2000 black-tailed godwits Richard Smith was counting (with a few Canada Geese), on the Gilroy scrape at Hoylake. The godwits stop off here on migration south after breeding, so were still in summer  plumage at the time (11 August).

Hoylake Golf Resort Public Meeting

A public Meeting is being held to discuss the Hoylake Golf Resort.

Tuesday 29 March 7:30 pm

West Kirby United Reformed Church

Meols Drive

West Kirby

CH48 5DA

Topics of concern include:

Archaeology and History

Consultation process

Council's conflict of interest

Council's management skills

Disruption to the wards beyond Hoylake

Economic and Environmental Impacts

Flooding risk

Green Belt

Housing

Jobs

Links Academy

Municipal and other Golf Courses and Clubs

Petro-chemicals usage

Planning
Rights of Way and Footpaths
Roads and Traffic

The meeting is being held so that people may air their views, share their concerns and ask the questions that Council and Councillors have so far failed to answer.

If any questions cannot be answered on the night, attempts will be made to find the answers for later reporting.

The meeting is public and will be reported on the website

www.hoylakegolfresort.uk

Councillors and Officials have been invited to attend. You are invited to speak freely but politely!

A donation to help defray Hall rent would be appreciated.

Hoylake Golf Resort - Your Chance To Ask Questions

Many people are concerned about the impact of the proposed Hoylake Golf Resort.

A Wirral West Constituency meeting will be held at Hilbre High School on 11 February 2016 at 7 p.m. David Ball will be giving a presentation that will enable an understanding of the Golf Resort. There will be sufficient time for members of the public to ask plenty of questions.

As there are concerns about possible impacts on wildlife, especially wintering birds but also water voles, hares, bats, breeding birds and plants, anyone with an interest please go along and ask questions.

Hoylake Golf Resort: Have Your Say

Many of you may be aware of the Council proposals for a Golf Resort at Hoylake. There is information at www.wirral.gov.uk/golfresort

We feel that before any decision is made it is imperative to evaluate the impact of the proposals on the wintering birds that use the area and the birds that breed there in the spring. Barn owls hunt over the area and mammals such as water voles, hares and bats are present. Botanical surveys will be needed as well as monitoring of the current populations of butterflies, dragonflies, molluscs and beetles. Large scale development could harm all of them unless proper provision is made for the wildlife.

There is a survey form at www.wirral.gov.uk/golfresort with are a few simple questions and a Comments box where you can enter what you see fit. If you want to form a response elsewhere on your computer, it can be copy-and-pasted into the comments box. The more people who express concern about the wildlife, even if only briefly, the better!

Proposed Hoylake Golf Resort

Wirral Council is holding two drop-in events to give local people an opportunity to see the latest proposals for Hoylake Golf Resort.

Melrose Hall, Hoylake
11 - 13 November 2015
Between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Westbourne Hall, West Kirby
18 - 20 November 2015
Between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

You can view the proposals on the Council website. Although the sessions are not part of the formal planning consultation process, which will take place next year, they will provide an opportunity to tell the Council what you think and to feed your comments and suggestions into the project design team.

There are various wildlife issues to consider including the use of the land by waders as a high tide roost, the presence of water voles in some ditches and foraging over the fields by bats and barn owls. Do go and make yourself aware of the proposals.