Have your say on Roundshaw Downs

Have your say on Roundshaw Downs

Residents have showed support for an innovative plan to bring grazing cattle onto Roundshaw Downs to keep the grasslands healthy.

The borough’s largest nature reserve is made up of rare chalk grasslands, which support an incredibly diverse range of plants and animals.  The thin chalk soil can sustain up to 50 species of plant per square metre, including rare orchids and other wildflowers which can’t grow anywhere else.

Now, residents are being asked for their views after an initial consultation showed 58 per cent of respondents in favour of bringing cows onto the downs, and 37 per cent against.  A second round of proposals has been drawn up, which puts forward detailed plans that address the concerns put forward by residents.

Managing the grasslands is vital to preserve the Downs’ fragile eco-system and stop weeds, shrubs and other, hardier plants taking over.  At the moment the Downs are mown mechanically every three years, but now environmental officers from Sutton Council want to bring in cattle to graze the downs and help manage the area more naturally.

Grazing on Folkestone Downs, the chalk grasslands over Dover’s famous white cliffs, has seen a huge increase in the number of rare plant species. The spider orchid, Britain’s rarest plant, increased 27-fold in the first decade after cattle grazing was introduced.

Cllr Graham Tope, Executive Member for Community Safety, Leisure and Libraries on Sutton Council, said: “Chalk grassland is a rare habitat that’s usually only found in the South East of England, so it’s vital that we do all we can to help preserve it. Grasslands can support up to 50 different species of plants within one square metre, and bringing cattle to graze on the Downs will help the plants that grow there to flourish.

“In the first round of consultations, most residents were in favour of cattle being brought back to graze on the Downs, but there were some concerns about some aspects of the plans.  We’ve listened to feedback and addressed these issues to make sure that everyone can keep enjoying the downs, so if you have something that you’d like to say then make sure that you get in touch and get your point of view heard.

“The changes we’re suggesting could have a big impact on Roundshaw Downs, so we really want to hear the views of people who use this beautiful open space.”

The project will be completely funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund through the Old Surrey Downs Project (OSD).  The OSD was set up to raise awareness of the decline in chalk grasslands, and has worked with several councils in the South East to successfully establish grazing animals on grasslands.

For more information about the Roundshaw Downs grazing consultation and to find out how to have your say, visit Sutton’s consultation home page at www.opinionsuite.com/sutton|.

The consultation will be open until 3rd  October 2011.