New tractor to help boost biodiversity in Torridge

The tractor will be used to enhance the dune habitats at Northam Burrows

The go-ahead has been given for a new £55,000 tractor to help manage biodiversity projects in Torridge.

Councillors were told the tractor would carry out hay cuts and prepare ground for wildflower seeds.

It will be used to enhance the dune and grassland habitats at Northam Burrows Country Park and Kenwith Valley Local Nature Reserve.

The tractor's cost would be met by subsidies from the Environmental Stewardship Scheme on Northam Burrows.

Torridge District Council's head of communities and place, Sean Kearney, said a biodiversity plan was behind schedule due to the "bedding in" process of bringing the grounds' maintenance team back in-house and "urgent action" was required.

Northam Burrows is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), a designation which protects habitats and species of national importance

Torridge committed to the North Devon Biosphere's Nature Recovery Plan in 2021, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It seeks to restore habitats for rare wildlife and stop degradation of nature in line with the government's 25-year environment plan.