New byelaws in place to protect local nature reserves
Byelaws covering Local Nature Reserves in Hastings were confirmed by Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) at the start of the year and will become effective from tomorrow (February 9th).
Hastings Borough Council (HC) says it ‘takes pride in the beautiful and unique environments the local nature reserves have to offer’ and wants to do all it can to protect what it describes as ‘these precious areas’.
An HBC spokesman said: “The council has designated additional Local Nature Reserves over recent years, recognising the important role they play in encouraging biodiversity and quality of the local environment.
“The new byelaws are now consistent across all our nature reserves and follow DEFRA’s national guidelines. DEFRA encourage local authorities to adopt a consistent national approach to byelaws to help protect nature reserves from damage and protect wildlife.”
The new byelaws cover the Local Nature Reserves of Filsham Reedbeds Nature, Marline Valley, Hastings Country Park, St Helens Wood, Churchwood and Robsack, Summerfields Woods and Old Roar Gill. Until this year, byelaws were in place for Marline Valley, Filsham Reedbeds and St Helens Woods only, and those byelaws were deemed to be out of date.
To find out what the new nature reserve byelaws will mean to you, you can read the full details at: https://www.hastings.gov.uk/countryside-nature/naturereserves/byelaws/. Copies are also held at the council’s main offices at Muriel Matters House.
Main picture by Sid Saunders.
The Hastings Country Park new by-laws are approved but the grounds for objection remain. Some of the Country Park’s coastal margin is in areas designated by HBC for restriction-of-access, with no explanation. The broad presumption of open access and the right to roam is now badly battered.
Consistency with smaller nature reserves is not as important as the Council’s restriction of – and furious disregard of – access to the coastal margin. The England Coast Path deserves better.
As for Marline Valley, Sea Change (see also https://seachangewatch.wordpress.com/) have revived their threat to its Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), owned by HBC. What will the Council do on planning case HS/EIA/20/00828?
I asked Cllr Maya Evans about these new byelaws and the effect it will have on people wanting to explore HCPNR. Her response was that these new restrictions will not be policed. It seems to me that although HBC may view these new bye laws as benign, in the future these restrictions will seriously limit access to HCPNR.