Blackwater Valley Road

One of the jobs of the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership is the management of land adjacent to the A331 (Blackwater Valley Relief Road) a total of 450 hectares of land running alongside the A331 on behalf of Surrey and Hampshire County Councils.

“It might seem strange for a countryside service to be looking after roadside land,” explains Sue Dent Countryside and Access officer for the Service “but in effect it is a large urban nature reserve. There is tremendous scope to integrate nature conservation into the management of the site as a whole, we have created habitats for many different species such as: bats, grass snakes, frogs, toads, birds and butterflies”.

The road verges themselves are largely newly created grassland, shrub and thicket which must be managed to meet the safety needs of the road but which nonetheless can provide a vital habitat in their own right. Beyond the verges, areas of original woodland and grassland have been protected, others have been restored and replanted. This includes 15 hectares of grassland and wildflower meadow, 243 hectares of thicket, 128 hectares of established woodland, six miles of hedge and numerous ditches and ponds.

The roadside landscaping makes a major contribution to the habitats in the Valley, which form a very important corridor or link for wildlife between the many Valley sites and also those to the north and south which would otherwise be isolated from each other by urban sprawl.

It’s not just wildlife that benefits from the landscaped corridor as it is also the setting for the Blackwater Valley Path, a multi-user footpath that is suitable for pedestrians, pushchairs and wheelchair users with many sections providing an easily accessible greenspace for local people to enjoy.

“I do not know of another case where a countryside service is so closely involved with a major road” continued Sue “but it works well. It ensures all the effort in establishing the landscape around the road such as purchasing extra land and the habitat creation projects continues to be looked after and maximises the benefits to local residents and wildlife.”