Lancashire nature reserve set for huge change - including 'natural play area' and 'special occasion' pagoda
Bosses at a Lancashire nature reserve have unveiled huge new plans for its future.
Lancashire Wildlife Trust wants to overhaul the offering at Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve in Rufford, including work to the cafe, a new play area for children, extra parking and new water viewing platforms.
The Trust says work “is designed to complement the operation and accessibility of the area”.
What’s happening?
Plans have been submitted to West Lancashire Borough Council to:
- Install a 15 metre squared “ornate” pagoda overlooking the lake “for special occasions”. No further details on the useage have been publically provided.
- Install a natural play area including a mud kitchen and sand/water play area suitable for children under seven years of age. - Install a log burning stove as feature in the café as well as a pergola-style canopy “to reduce sun glare inside and allow an outside seating area protected from inclement weather.” - Extend the existing gravel overflow car park, creating an additional 10 to 15 car spaces.
- Install two replacement disability-friendly viewing platforms at the waters edge for ornithologist and general public access.
- Install a 96m2 agricultural building to house equipment used to manage the woodland - Replace the existing sewerage treatment plant with a larger unit to accommodate the current volume of users. The existing system was installed for a small site office with no café or education facility. - Install a new bat roost based on the same design as the tower hide (approximately four metres tall).
Environmental impact
The Trust says that all but the car park extension will have a “negligible impact” on surface water drainage. A Trust spokesman added: “The existing car park drains naturally via surface run off in to the existing lake and sub soil to the wooded areas. The additional area will be graded in such a way to encourage this drainage with surface water being channelled to natural existing soak aways or into the surrounding lakes and reed beds.”
A decision will be made by the council in coming weeks.
About Mere Sands Wood
The area is made up of 105 acres of mature deciduous and coniferous woodland, wet meadows, lakes and sandy heaths. The name 'Mere Sands' dates back to medieval times when the area was on the shore of a large lake called 'Martin Mere'. Two marked walks are available to guide you with the green walk 2.5km in length and the brown periphery route totaling 4km in length.
The visitor centre opening times are 9am - 5pm. The car park is open between 9am-5pm except from Easter until the end of August where it remains open until 8pm.