Nottinghamshire County Council announces plans to turn Hucknall's Dob Park into a nature reserve

Nottinghamshire County Council is set to create a nature reserve in Hucknall.

Plans are afoot to make Dob Park, a 20-hectare site just off the Hucknall bypass one of five new Local Nature Reserves (LNR) on existing County Council Green Spaces.

In Nottinghamshire, there are currently 67 LNRs, of which six are owned by the County Council. 

The County Council is embarking on the first steps in the designation process, including preparing detailed management plans, for the sites that will be submitted to Natural England. 

As well as Dob Park, Newstead Old Coal Stocking Yard, Freckland Wood and the Linby Trail is one of the other areas to have been selected. The Linby Trail, known by locals as The Yellow Brick Road is just outside Hucknall and leads to Newstead Abbey which is a popular route for walkers. 

Councillor John Cottee, Cabinet Member for Communities said: "The creation of new Local Nature Reserves is a commitment we promised to deliver in the Nottinghamshire Plan and the County Council's Environment Strategy – it's all part of our drive to make the most of Nottinghamshire's green spaces for the benefit of our residents and wildlife.

"The sites put forward are at the heart of local communities, and provide accessible natural spaces to explore, play, learn and enjoy - which are important for wellbeing and quality of life."

The proposed sites have been selected to contribute to the geographic spread of LNRs across the county and are all managed by the Council's Green Spaces service. 

Councillor Cottee added: "As we already own or manage these green spaces, there'll be no extra cost to the taxpayer to manage them as Local Nature Reserves. The designations will, however, ensure that our focus is firmly on the opportunities that they can provide for people to connect with nature, as well as their importance for biodiversity.

"There will be official opening ceremonies for these LNRs once they're formally declared - so watch this space..."

Councillor Mike Adams, Environment Ambassador for Nottinghamshire County Council said: "Creating Local Nature Reserves across Nottinghamshire is an important part of the County Council's natural greenspace provision and an essential contribution to the country's green infrastructure. In designating and managing these sites as LNRs we can enhance and conserve local nature and ecosystems and help mitigate and better deal with the effects of climate." 

Local residents will be consulted on the draft declarations and can view existing sites via Natural England's Designated Sites View website, which provides information about Local Nature Reserves to the public.