It seems that the County Council have, in their quest to cut costs, initiated a review of country parks and nature reserves, hoping that they can hand over responsibility to someone else, i.e. the Parish Council. So, why does this effect our village?
One of the nature reserves on the list is Fen Alder Carr, just off Fen Lane, at the southern end of the parish. It isn't a big place, as you can see from the map, but it is a valuable habitat for water vole, smooth newts and yellow-necked mice. On a nice day, you can walk along the boardwalk from the car park at the north end to the pond at the southern end through a marshy area planted with alder.
If we take it over, we will need to maintain the boardwalk and engage someone to manage the site. Not full time, you understand, but if left to its own devices, the marsh will gradually be drained, changing the ecosystem forever. And that's clearly the catch. With a precept of just £4,000 each year, we couldn't possibly afford to do so, leaving the option of increasing the precept dramatically to fund something which is a resource to be enjoyed by all.
As a parish councillor, I took it upon myself to have a look today - I'd never actually done so before - and was pleasantly surprised. The reserve is quite unlike much of this part of Suffolk, and as a facility for educating children about biodiversity, it could be very useful.
However, I am intrigued by one thing. Suffolk County Council declared it as a Local Nature Reserve using powers vested in it by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, and I wonder if they can walk away so easily. I think that questions need to be asked...
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