Biodiversity Policy
Biodiversity Policy
Farleigh Fields Local Green Space
Update – 8th October 2024 At our recent meeting, the Parish Council agreed that we were happy to proceed with Persimmon Homes’ offer to let us take control of a Local Green Space on Farleigh Fields for future community use. Understandably this has led to significant interest in the village as people wonder what the options are for this important piece of land. Earlier this year, the Parish Council set up a working party to look into this, with a brief of ensuring that any venture did not expose us to significant financial risk and administrative burden for now and in the long term future, and that any amenity would provide significant social benefit to the whole of the village. Research is advancing on the complexities of the Transfer of Ownership and we have looked at a number of proposals in detail. Although it is still too early to set [...]
JSP Examination letters
The below are two very important letters from the government inspectors who examined the Joint Spatial Plan. We need to hear the response from the four Councils but we consider this very encouraging and suggests our arguments were heard and understood. We will be holding a meeting of the 18-36 Working Party soon to consider next steps. Letter from Inspectors 1 Letter from Inspectors 2
Humming Bird hawk moth
The photograph of this amazing creature was taken in a Backwell garden in June 2019 (the photographer gave permission for us to share it but does not want to be named). This creature is a moth and, as a result of convergent evolution to match an environmental habitat, it has become incredibly similar to a Humming Bird. Another example of evolutionary convergence may be our hedgehogs and the Australian echidna.
Grass-snakes
Backwell is very fortunate to still have some splendid wildlife - but it needs our support. Hedgehogs are easy to love but strangely many people are fearful of snakes. The attached is a picture taken by Mrs J Watts in the Backwell Playing fields and probably because of the strong markings, some people posted on Facebook that it was an adder. Adders are VERY beautiful but small animals that need our protection and are timid and very rarely bite - mostly when they are being attacked. Grass-snakes can be much bigger, like living near water or lower areas (such as Backwell village) and are entirely harmless beautiful creatures. Grass-snakes are the only UK snake to lay eggs (adders give birth to live young) so if you find leathery eggs in a compost-heap they will be grass-snake eggs. All reptiles are protected by law. Dr John Wilkinson (Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, [...]