Gloucester’s beloved nature sites, Robinswood Hill Country Park and Alney Island nature reserve, face potential changes in management as the City Council confronts a serious financial crisis.
To tackle mounting financial challenges and avoid bankruptcy, Gloucester City Council is seeking between £12.5 million and £17.5 million in exceptional support funding from the Government. Alongside efforts to cut costs and boost revenue through commercial properties, the council is considering transferring management of some of its 270 properties.
Among these are Robinswood Hill — a 100-hectare country park located just two miles southeast of Gloucester. Rising to 198 meters, it offers visitors diverse habitats including woodlands, meadows, orchards, and ponds, rich in wildlife and steeped in history with Neolithic flint quarries and ancient wells.
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Similarly, Alney Island, an 80-hectare wetland nature reserve known for public recreation and conservation, could also be handed over. Historically significant as the lowest river crossing to Wales for centuries, it is currently maintained by the council’s countryside unit.
Councillor John Jones voiced concerns about these proposed changes during a special council meeting, emphasizing the community’s right to continued access to these natural spaces. “Why should the council pick on our natural heritage?” he questioned.
Council leader Jeremy Hilton acknowledged shortcomings in the council’s management of these sites and revealed ongoing talks with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust about possibly taking over stewardship.
“Most of us aren’t farmers,” Hilton remarked. “Let the experts look after Robinswood Hill and Alney Island if that is the way we go forward.”
This potential shift aims not only to safeguard these environmental treasures but also to improve the quality of their management under organizations specialized in wildlife and habitat conservation.