Where is Southwood Meadows?

Southwood Meadows is an open area of grass and woodland, situated between Hazel Avenue and Southwood Golf Club/Cove Cricket Club.

As well as being home to a range of plants, animals, amphibians and insects, it is a popular place to walk and is an area which takes up the excess water from Cove Brook to prevent flooding.

A Breathing Place

Although it is a wildlife area, it still needs to be managed to prevent it becoming overgrown and inaccessible.  If it is neglected it could lose its rarer wildlife and become less attractive.

One possible way to assist in this would be to cut the grass or allow animals (such as cattle) to graze in enclosures away from the main footpaths.

Cove Brook Greenway Group is attempting to find out more about the wildlife that lives in the area, as well as how local people use it.  It has recently received a BBC Big Lottery Breathing Places grant to enable us to carry out this work.

Expert naturalists will be surveying the wildlife and we will be asking local people what they want from Southwood Meadows.  This information will be used to work out how it could be managed over the coming years in order to conserve what is good about it and, hopefully, to improve it for both wildlife and local people.

How does this affect me?

If you use Southwood Meadows we need to hear your views.  For example, would you like the access points upgraded, better paths or more litter bins?  Are you concerned about motorcyclists using this area?  Or would you like things left just as they are?  Whatever your view, we would like to hear from you.

How can I get my views heard?

A questionaire is being distributed to local households and on-the-spot surveys will be carried out.  If you would like a copy of the questionaire but have not received one then please either complete it via our online form or contact us on 01252 512634 or enquiries@covebrookgreenway.co.uk