Community group submits bid to buy River Avon land

A LOCAL group has put in an ambitious bid to buy a huge piece of land along the river Avon to protect it as green space.

The Melksham Green Space community group has made a bid for 28.5 acres of land which is being sold by Cooper Tires, hoping to save the site which runs from the King George V Park to the outskirts of Melksham.

The land is currently up for sale as part of the wider sale of the Cooper Avon land, which also includes the former factory site on the other side of the river. Bids had to be in with the auctioneers by Friday last week.

“We have made a bid to buy 28.5 acres of land to save it for the community and ensure it stays as an open space,” said chair of the group, Nigel Benham. “We have the funding in place and hope our bid will be successful. It would be a fantastic asset for the community to have such a large area of land, a vital natural habitat, close to the town centre. We’ve just got our fingers crossed now and have to wait now to see if our bid is successful.

“If it is, then a whole range of exciting opportunities will arise. It’s a really large site with tremendous scope for creating a haven for wildlife along the river, with walking and nature trails, a community wood and wild flower meadows.

“Our vision is to plant a variety of tree species with open spaces for the inclusion of wildflower and grass meadows. This would create a sustainable habitat for wildlife, including birds and other species, fostering bio-diversity along the River Avon.

“The area will continue to serve the community by providing an open space that would contribute to the well-being and overall quality of life within the community. Acquiring this land would also provide the opportunity to develop a forest school within Melksham.

“Our knowledge and access to resources will assist in developing this area into a well-managed environment for both wildlife and community.

“We recently launched a consultation about the land and had over 1,000 responses, so there is clearly interest and support for what we are trying to do.

“The town has grown massively in the last few years with all the new houses and people are concerned about overdevelopment, so it’s vital we save pieces of land like this for future generations to enjoy.”