The Higher Level Stewardship Scheme (HLS) is an agri-environmental programme which is administered by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), although the funding for the programme comes from the European Union. It is hoped that most of the 240 acres of land attached to The Grange will be accepted into HLS during the next few months, with a formal starting date of 1st May 2007. If the application (which is supported by the Environment Agency, the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, Bay Malton Angling Club, Trafford Mill Trust and many local people) is successful, the transformation in the land should provide a valuable and enjoyable asset and educational resource for people in the area. The scheme runs for 10 years.

Proposals

1. The old green lane at the A56 end of The Street will be restored, and will become part of a permissive bridleway to Picton Lane, providing horse riders with an additional traffic-free route to ride.

2. There will be a permissive footpath from the new bridleway, passing behind the sewage works and continuing through new woodland to join the existing public and permissive footpaths on the banks of the River Gowy near the Nags Head.

3. There will be a permissive footpath starting from the A56 opposite the existing public footpath near the Shrewsbury Arms, going past the mill, and along the banks of the River Gowy to the embankment of the Chester – Warrington railway line, from where it will follow existing field boundaries before finishing on Plemstall Lane between Glebe Meadows and Plemstall Way. This will provide a circular route of about 2 miles. Footpaths and the bridleway will be fenced, to ensure that people are kept separate from cattle, and will help prevent erosion of the Gowy banks.

4. Two acres behind St. Plegmund’s Well will be planted with wild bird seed mix, and 4 acres at the end of The Street will be planted with mixed grasses and clover. There will also be 10 acres of low input Spring cereal on overwintered stubble, thereby creating a cropping pattern beneficial to songbirds. Most of the grassland cut for silage will have a 4 metre buffer strip around it. Some fields will be managed as traditional hay meadows.

5. Approximately 2 miles of ditches and 3 miles of hedgerow will be restored through laying and replanting. The field boundaries marked on the 1917 map of the sale of the estate of the Earl of Shrewsbury will also be restored.

6. 4 ponds, an old wood and an old orchard will be restored and managed.

7. About 35 acres of the Gowy meadows will be managed to support over-wintering wading birds, particularly peewits and snipe.

8. An otter holt, and barn owl and tree sparrow nesting boxes will be provided.

9. Rare breed Red Poll cattle will be used to manage the land in an environmentally beneficial way, and visitors will be able to see the cattle and the restoration work, as well as the (it is hoped) increased level of biodiversity which will result from HLS. Water voles and amphibians should become increasingly evident.

10. There is provision for educational visits by any interested groups. These will be funded through HLS, so will be free to groups wishing to take advantage of this opportunity.

11. The facilities envisaged, and the management practices proposed, will enhance the viability of the project to restore Trafford Mill. The farm will, in effect, become part of the environmental education package which will be offered by the Trafford Mill Trust. We are working closely with the Trust to ensure that its aims can be achieved and that the mill can be saved for future generations. Educational facilities for young children are planned as part of this package.

12. A successful HLS application will help to ensure the future of our herd of Red Poll Cattle, a breed which is at risk of extinction according to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

Given the benefits to the community, the environment and Trafford Mill which should accrue from these proposals, I very much hope that you will support them.

Multi Habitat Assessment Report