Protecting water meadows 'best decision in years'

Andrew Hinchley described the decision as a "1,000-year event"

A water meadow's potential new protected status has been described as "the best council decision for 1,000 years".

Bury St Edmunds' water meadows that adjoin the River Lark in Suffolk have been nominated for protected status alongside nearby Mildenhall's Jubilee Field.

West Suffolk Council will now formally submit the plans as part of the wider local plan to the government for examination.

Andrew Hinchley, a trustee of the River Lark Catchment Partnership, said the move was "groundbreaking".

"From an environmental perspective, this is possibly the best Bury council decision for 1,000 years," he said.

"What could be more important to those that love our Lark than to protect these precious meadows, not only for our lifetimes but for our children and our children’s children?

"Literally hundreds of acres of green space are protected for all time."

The new status could potentially mean no council in the future will be able to reverse the decision or build in the area.

"This is a 1,000-year event to me because the last time they were protected was when they were owned by the Saxon kings and queens," added Mr Hinchley.

The new status was included in the council's draft submission of the local plan and was subject to a recent public consultation.

"The local plan will be formally submitted to the secretary of state for an examination in public, held by an independent planning inspector before the end of the year," a council spokesperson said.

"Following this, and any changes made by the inspector to the plan, it will come back to the council to adopt next spring and for the various designations of land to come into effect."