20110403 Wild Life Area Cleaning

Lots of problems. I shouldn't actually because the WLA has always been the weak spot of the Surrey Square Park but sometimes things do not seems to turn out well in spite of efforts.

This years is kids. Actually is only a little gang of tree or four but they bring in a lot more that otherwise would not interfere.

They started the fashion, no doubt propelled by problems at home, of building dens and starting fires in the area. in a couple of occasion the Fire Brigade was called in and i had to talk to them that the area:

• is part of Surrey Square Park

• is an Area of Local Ecological Interest and

• yes there is someone looking after it

so please do not cut it down because of fire risk or get in with the fire engines. if at least we had some signage explaining it all it would make things easier. it would not be the first time that the WLA would come to serious harm by the very agencies that should ultimately protect it instead.

Anyway with trusted Alison we were of once again to see what if anything could be done.

That the sort of damage and we have been there several time already removing the makeshift hats and hearths.

at the end all is cleared the kid make a commitment to defend the place but it all be sometimes before this is over. In the meantime at least we take away some more refuse.

An added benefit has been that it had been possible for the cut off wood to be used to make a sort of filling barrier in the section adjoining the children playground from the side of Albridge Street.

The section is domed by a large clamp of buddleja and its cove like nature has been used for all sort of no good activities (from prostitution to sleep-in and camp-side to tip). Most damaging of all is the possibility that a path could be opened along the fence and this would lead to the loss of the habitat for foxes and many birds.