Mixed views on plan for super nature reserve

Residents were invited to give their views on the expansion plans

Neighbours of a would-be super nature reserve on the England-Wales border have expressed mixed feelings over the plans.

Natural England wants to expand the Stiperstones National Nature Reserve in Shropshire to 11 times its current size.

Bosses hope to incorporate surrounding land and make the area bigger to help soak up carbon and reduce flooding downstream.

Some residents welcomed the idea while others expressed fears over more red tape.

A consultation event held at nearby Snailbeach village hall on Wednesday was well-attended.

Some locals gave a cautious welcome while others said they were looking forward to finding out more.

The expansion would take the reserve from 2 sq miles (500 hectares) to 22 sq miles.

It would incorporate land owned by Shropshire Council and Shropshire Wildlife Trust among others.

Mixed views

David Stacey, who runs a farm in nearby Hope, said he believed it was good to see groups collaborating but a new designation was unnecessary.

"Those organisations are working together very effectively as they are," he said.

"We don't need a new name [and] we don't need new bureaucracy. We need to carry on the good work that is taking place on the land at grassroots level."

Helen Fairweather, who has a smallholding close to the reserve, said she welcomed moves to preserve nature.

"The natural world is still in decline even within our protected landscapes," she said.

"It's not looking good and hasn't done for years. The more we can do to make it bigger and more joined up the better."

The Stiperstones nature reserve on the border of England and Wales could be expanded

The reserve is made up of a wild landscape of uplands, lowlands and woodland that attracts birds and rare wildlife.

Emma Johnson, deputy director for Natural England in the West Midlands, told BBC Radio Shropshire there was a great opportunity to create a better and bigger place for people and wildlife.

The Stiperstones will be one of the King's Series of national nature reserves, which was launched last year to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III.