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| Two fields adjacent to the chemicals factory will be transformed into a wetland bird habitat |
PLANNING consent has been granted for creation of a wetland bird habitat on 17.1 hectares of land on the outskirts of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire.
Two agricultural fields adjacent to the Novartis factory will be given over to a water storage and habitat lagoon, shallow scrapes and ponds, bunding, a bird hide, culverts and a bridge.
The intention is for birds - most likely to be wader species - to use the site to roost when high tides prevent feeding on the mudflats of the adjacent Humber Estuary.
Like Cress Marsh, at nearby Stallingborough, the site has been designated as a mitigation site, not a nature reserve, and access will only be by permission from North East Lincolnshire Council.
However, for other birds, the estuary wall will provide excellent views across the whole site.
Consulant for the project - to be called Novartis Ings - is Roger Wardle who was also mastermind for Cress Marsh.
Says he: "There will be a mosaic of wet grassland, scrapes, pools and a lagoon.
"The objective is to provide roosting areas that provide the birds' needs for a feeling of security from disturbance and predation.
"This security is enhanced by the water features, many surrounding a marooned area of gravel or wet grassland and mud.
"There is also a high probability of other bird and biodiversity benefits."
Once contractors have vacated the site, probably at about this time next year, oversight will be by North East Lincolnshire Council's ecology officer, Rachel Graham.
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| Design of the proposed bird hide |
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| Proposed layout of Novartis Ings |
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