An update from My Wild Bedminster is reproduced below. Lots of interesting and inspiring information!
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Even Greater Greater Bedminster?
Given the number of agreed planning proposals, the population of BS3 (roughly Bedminster, Southville and Windmill Hill wards) is due to expand by about 44% over the next decade or so. That’s from about 37,000 people to over 50,000. Motor car ownership may increase by 30-40%. Most streets are already full of parked cars, so some people will be looking for spaces in parks and allotments. It won’t be the first time we’ve had to fight off using public green space for storing private vehicles.
As well as green spaces, other aspects of the neighbourhood will also be changed, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. Action Greater Bedminster (hello@actiongreaterbedminster.org.uk), a local network of community organisations, is convening a series of meetings to look at things like shops, medical services, schools, pollution etc. There is a meeting to talk about green spaces and their many uses on July 6.
Prior to 6 July we want to collect ideas about protecting green spaces, but also what advantages may come from the population expansion. I’m sure that park groups, allotment associations etc will have their own discussions, but there will be several informal meetings bringing together ideas from a wide range of spaces and people. The first of these will be in The Tobacco Factory (main bar) from 2.30pm on Sunday, 16 April.
Not all green spaces seem to have a support group. Park groups affiliated to the Bristol Parks Forum are listed here: http://www.bristolparksforum.org.uk/parks-forum-members/
Facebook and Wildlife
Each of the Wildlife Groups in Bristol have a Facebook page. This is a very simple way of presenting pictures and ideas. We’ll certainly be using the BS3 Facebook page to raise issues associated with our population explosion. I’m sure other neighbourhoods will be developing their own local ideas. There’s a list of Facebook groups at Bristol’s Postcode Based Wildlife and Hedgehog Groups.
The site also lists 5 Hedgehog Groups. They are BS3, BS4, BS8, BS13 and BS16. It would be good to receive hedgehog news from these areas and any other where a hedgehog group might be forming.
Wildlife and Housing Land
We’ve been talking to representatives of Bristol City Council’s Housing Department. It is a significant landowner in the city and, until recently, I suspect that wildlife has been rather low on their agenda. However, they are beginning to respond to the wider agenda summed up as ‘for an ecologically resilient, wildlife-rich Bristol by 2030’. They seem mainly to be wanting to plant more trees on their sites. A good start. We are keen to support them by, for example, identifying additional places where perhaps a few, or even just one, tree can be planted. Also, we are hoping that the city’s community garden groups will keep an eye on new trees and also, perhaps, plant and tend an understory of bushes and flowers around the trees. A good start would be to identify the community gardening groups in your neighbourhood (some have done this already); identify the gaps and talk to your local housing officer.
Meeting Cllrs Kye Dudd and Ellie King
Eleven representatives of Wildlife Groups across Bristol met with BCC Cabinet Members Kye Dudd and Ellie King on March 28. This was a useful meeting although we were only able to touch on a few topics. We have agreed to meet every two months.
Ashton Vale Wetlands
After this rainy March, much of Bristol may be ‘wetland’, but a more permanent version is in Ashton, close to the city’s edge. This is an unusual, even unique, habitat within the city’s boundaries. Locals have photographed many interesting birds and a student group from UWE have produced a report. To request a copy, email: MyWildBedminster@virginmedia.com
Our hope is to preserve this privately owned land as an important component of the Greater Bedminster Urban Nature Reserve and we will soon to speak to the owner or his representative.
West of England Combined Authority (WECA) Meeting
WECA have an on-line discussion of their Nature Recovery Strategy on Wednesday, 26 April from 11am to 12noon. If you want to join in go to West of England Local Nature Recovery Strategy webinar Tickets, Wed 26 Apr 2023 at 11:00 | Eventbrite.
Lots of Info about Lots of Animals and Plants
Go to https://nbnatlas.org for loads of information about what lives or grows where in the UK. Did you know that 223 species of birds have been recorded in the city, but only 51 mammals? For fish and reptiles the numbers are 26 and 6.