Essex Arms Site, Hereford
Wetland park proposal for Essex Arms site
The site and our proposals
This abandoned, flood-prone site alongside Station Medical Centre, with the Widemarsh Brook flowing through it, is crying out to be made a haven for wetland wildlife. Add a cycling/walkway to link station with city, then we could all make better use of this city asset!
As the lowest point in the City, this area is often the first to flood. There is support from local stakeholders that it should continue to be a sink for surface runoff water flowing in from all around it. To further develop it as a wetland park, it could be managed to expand the range of different wildlife habitats around and along Widemarsh Brook.
Essex Arms Site, flooded
We believe this plan will:
- Help to combat the Climate Emergency by providing a carbon storage sink
- Provide opportunities for engagement with local schools
- Improve connectivity along the Yazor/Widemarsh Brooks blue-green corridor
- Increase urban biodiversity
- Help filter urban pollution
- Provide a space for tourists as well as local people
- Promote healthy lifestyles and sustainable transport
A cycle/walkway through the site would greatly enhance access to the station, medical centre, colleges and student accommodation from the city centre and NMITE university.
Through the work of the Hereford City Local Branch Group, Yazor Brooks Restoration Project and the ongoing restoration of Bartonsham Meadows, the Trust is already made a big difference for wildlife and people in the city. An army of volunteers regularly clear litter and debris, check for pollution, record wildlife and restore or create new wildlife habitats along the city’s waterways, floodplain meadows and green spaces.
Led by the efforts of the Hereford City Local Branch, the Trust has been in discussions with Herefordshire Council over the future of the site for several years.