Next steps for UK's largest urban rewilding project
Derby City Council’s cabinet will be asked to discuss the results of the consultation on 3 August
- Published
The majority of people who responded to a public consultation into plans to rewild parts of a city park say they are in favour of the scheme.
New habitats like woodlands, grasslands, wetland, scrubland, and community orchards will be created at Allestree Park in Derby.
Dr Jo Smith, CEO at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said she was "thrilled" with the amount of local residents having their say on the plans for the park.
More than 2,000 people have given their views and ideas about how the 320-acre park could look when it is transformed into the UK’s largest urban rewilding space.
Allestree Park was home to a golf course that closed in 2020
Derby City Council’s cabinet will be asked to discuss the results of the consultation and to accept Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s Vision for Community Rewilding at Allestree Park at a meeting on 3 August.
Out of the 2,065 people that took part in the consultation, 89% supported the rewilding plans and 69.5% of respondents agreed supporting nature recovery in the Derby region was the most important priority.
Species, such as the water vole and harvest mouse, could be reintroduced as part of the rewilding
Dr Smith said: "The results of the consultation give a great snapshot into how excited the community is to rewild Allestree.
"People in Derby and surrounding areas will have a beautiful, wild and natural space to visit – which we know is crucial to people’s wellbeing."
Councillor Jerry Pearce said: "It’s great to see just how supportive our local residents and communities are of the plans.
"Projects like these are vital in helping to tackle the effects of climate change, which we’ve all experienced first-hand in recent weeks. Moving forward with these plans will be a key milestone in our aim to be net zero by 2035."
Rewilding is where ecosystems are restored and sometimes species reintroduced, with the idea that in the end they will manage themselves.