Countryside Management Works Currently Taking Place on the Elmbridge Countryside
In Elmbridge we are fortunate to have 14 countryside sites which cover 550 hectares. Over thousands of years the Elmbridge Countryside has become home to important rare species, including butterflies, fungi, plants and reptiles. In order to keep these rare species and maintain the land for recreation countryside management works must take place.
This page will inform you of the countryside management works currently taking place.
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Esher Commons SSSI Restoration and Management Plan
From week beginning 19 October 2009, contractors will be working on the fourth part of the restoration works as detailed within the approved |Esher Commons SSSI Restoration and Management Plan.
The area being restored is around the sand pit on Oxshott Heath with a carefully thinned strip stretching to the war memorial. A series of thinning areas will also be undertaken allowing the remaining woodlands to develop over the forthcoming years.
The completed works will improve the access to the area allowing more light and providing a pleasant place for walking and exercising. It will also allow the remaining trees space to develop and spread, as well as giving the opportunity for some of the saplings to develop into young trees, giving the woodland some structure. By encouraging trees of different ages, the Commons become a more viable habitat for all types of wildlife and a more pleasant experience for all users.
Complementing these works, much needed woodland improvements in nearby areas will also take place.
New Pond Littleworth Common
Following a consultation with local residents in 2007, Littleworth Common is set to get a new pond. Over 70% of the respondents said they would like to see an additional pond on the site. This is great news for local wildlife as the pond and the grassland surrounding it will support a range of species. These are likely to include damselflies and dragonflies, frogs and newts. Other species will remain lurking in the depths of the pond, such as water scorpions, freshwater hoglice and freshwater shrimps.
Works are currently under way to remove the secondary woodland which has covered an area approx one hectare in size at the north end of Littleworth Common. The area is being felled by contractors who will remove all the useful timber this will offset the cost of the operation. Tree stumps will be pulled out of the ground and either mulched, pulverised to woodchip, or used as habitat piles to provide extra habitats for local wildlife. Once cleared the countryside team using a large excavator will landscape the area to provide a large pond similar to that found on the other side of the footpath opposite cafe rouge.
If you would like to speak to an officer |contact the Countryside Officer.
