Residents are being urged to take part in consultation concerning changes to protect a vulnerable part of Cannock Chase.
Staffordshire County Council is supporting the consultation being run by the Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Partnership on how best to implement environmental protection changes at Chase Road.
The options look at how best to restrict motor vehicle use of the Chase Road bridleway to reduce damage being caused to rare, vulnerable heathland.
Hayley Coles, Deputy Leader of Staffordshire County Council and Cabinet member for Communities and Culture, said:
Nowadays heathland is rarer globally than rainforest, so we’re fortunate that Cannock Chase is home to an outstanding example of international importance.
With ‘official’ parking spaces and unofficial pull-ins along the Chase Road bridleway, for years people have parked, got out of their cars and set off on foot or by bike across the heathland.
This has unintentionally brought people to the some of the most sensitive parts of the site, and all those cars, bikes, people and dogs in this fragile area are affecting the heath and its wildlife.”
In 2020 the Cannock Chase SAC Partnership agreed, ratified by the county council, that it would help protect the most ecologically vulnerable parts of the Chase and create more parking spaces closer to the less ecologically sensitive areas.
Now the SAC consultation is underway, considering different options for managing the use of Chase Road bridleway.
In terms of visitor pressure, Cannock Chase has the highest density of visitor footfall of any UK protected landscape, between more than four and five times greater than the density of visitors to the Lake District National Park.
Martin Murray, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said:
I support this consultation on changing how Chase Road is used and I would encourage as many people as possible to take part.
The current situation is damaging rare land and protected species, so we have a legal and moral duty to act.
And given that the consequences of policy at Cannock Chase can be measured in decades, we’re acting now to ensure that in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time others can enjoy it in the same way that we do now.”
Take part in the consultation at: Welcome to Cannock Chase - Cannock Chase
See Council Leader Martin Murray talking about the consultation’s importance: https://youtu.be/5uo6MclntV0
NOTE TO EDITORS
The Cannock Chase SAC Partnership brings together local planning authorities and wider partners to protect the Special Area of Conservation from the impacts of increasing recreational pressure linked to housing growth in the area. This is a legal requirement due to the environmental significance of Cannock Chase’s heathland and associated habitats.
