It has come to my attention that the Great Yarmouth Borough Council have planned to build on the woodland in between Gorleston Recreational Ground and Meadow Park. I have put this group together as a petition against the planning to build more houses on this section of land – my aim is to get as many people as possible to vote AGAINST this by the 31st January 2025. 

The site is host to a number of trees, plant life, animals and critters including; muntjac, squirrels, foxes, hedgehogs and many species of bird.

My concern here is, where are they expecting the wildlife to go?

With much of Gorleston and Bradwell built up now, there are becoming fewer and fewer spots for the natural wildlife to live and thrive.  

The closest ‘woodland’ from here would be Fritton or Bluebell Woods and even this the council are trying to chop back what little remains, for more rural development.  

Unfortunately, thanks to receiving zero help from the council, much of the woodland they has become overgrown and has been used as a hot-spot for fly-tippers over the years.  

Despite this, the site itself thrives with wildlife and has so much potential to become a beautiful mini woodland walk, perfect picnic spot, educational experience and the opportunity to provide jobs – Much like the woodland created by the Forestry Commission at Gunton Woods and Corton Woods Nature Reserve. 

The ground in which the council want to develop, is a much-loved spot for dog walkers all-year round, with many of them, if not all, expressing their desires for the council to clean up the land and turn it into a wildlife walk.  

This is a great idea! Footpaths can already be found throughout the land, guiding you through the meadows, shrubbery and large established trees.

This is the perfect place for a much-needed woodland on the North-side of Gorleston. 

Not only this but, during the summer months you will often find families with young ones foraging the thousands of blackberry bushes, picking from the hidden apple & cherry trees and for those lucky ones who find them, the gooseberry bushes.  

Again, this could be a great opportunity to teach youngsters more about wildlife, natural habitats, fresh produce and conservation - just to name a few – especially with having a school that backs up onto the premises. 

Instead of building more houses, why not make use of the land and give back to the community by investing time and money into turning what was once a beautiful plot of land, back to its former glory.  

With so much foot traffic, from dog walkers, parents on the school run, to retirees and college students - I could only imagine how popular a little tea hut would do in this location – Again, much like the one at Corton Woods Nature Reserve. 

This will not only provide an income to the Great Yarmouth Borough Council, through premises rental of the tea hut (for example) but, it could also provide stable jobs and volunteering opportunities through the maintenance of the land – again this could be a great opportunity to educate and provide. 

Houses are being put everywhere at the moment; you can’t seem to escape it wherever you go and this unfortunately, is already becoming a huge problem for Gorleston without having the necessary facilities such as schools, doctors, dentists etc., needed in order to cope with the 25,000+ residents already living in the area.  

This plan to build more houses is only going to add to the problem! 

This could be a great opportunity for the council to listen to the community, give back by providing a much-needed green-space with trees and help with rebuilding what little trust and faith most of us have in the council already.  

The land itself has a vibrant colorful history, from being land once used for the former school of the blind, located on Church Road, to being bombed in the war, mined for its sand, becoming allotment plots for the local community and now a natural landscape for wildlife to thrive. 

I urge everyone to support this campaign and protest against this ridiculous plan. We need more wildlife and green-spaces, not more houses!  

If you have any old photos or stories of your time spent here, I encourage you to share them on this page in support of keeping the landscape as natural as possible. 

Feel free to follow along at:

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17nKY9JJFs/

Thank you all in advance for your support!🙏x🙏x🙏