FRAMPTON Cotterell Parish Council has bought a slice of riverside land, to protect it for wildlife and residents.
The council successfully bid £20,000 for the 0.65 acre slice of land alongside the River Frome.
Described by auctioneers Hollis Morgan as an “idyllic parcel of freehold land, known locally as Black Rocks”, the land near Mill Lane sold for the middle of its guide price range of £10,000 to £30,000.
The council says it bought the land “to protect more of our local green spaces” and bring it into its Community Nature Reserve project to protect wildlife and create a “more joined-up space for nature”.
The council used money from solar energy generation at Grange Solar Farm to fund the deal – it has a 30-year supply of funding from the site specifically to support environmental projects.
Clerk Linda Squire said: “This purchase is exactly the kind of thing the fund was created for.”
The council already owns the nearby Centenary Field, which is managed for people and wildlife and is the site of regular nature volunteer sessions.
Parish council chair Linda Ferris said she was “absolutely over the moon” that the council secured the site.
She said: “It relates directly to all our projects relating to nature and the climate emergency – it’s one of our number one priorities as a council.”
Linda said she would like to see a hide set up on the land so children can visit to learn about and be enthused by nature.
Frampton Cotterell Parish Council clerk Linda Squire, climate and nature officer Daisy Finniear and chair Linda Williams on a riverside site the council has bought at auction.
Parish council climate and nature officer Daisy Finniear said: “We had our eye on it years ago and weren’t able to get it, so now that we’ve got it it’s fantastic, because we’re going to be able to sign it up to our Community Nature Reserve project.
“We’ve got nearly 90 people who have signed their gardens up for nature across the parish.
“This is another amazing spot for nature, which acts as a stepping stone, and we can enhance the habitats and make it a really safe space for wildlife.”
Otters
Daisy said there was evidence of otters on the stretch of the Frome and the council could start monitoring for them.
She said: “I haven’t seen one on the river yet but I have seen their poo, or spraint, which you often see on rocks.
“The side of the river edge habitat is fantastic. We can work with organisations such as Bristol Avon Rivers Trust and do things here to engage the kids and work with the community.”