Amport Parish Council

Meetings are normally held in Amport School at 7:45pm on the 3rd Monday of each month. Members of the public are always welcome. The next meeting is on Monday 15th March 2010 at 7.45 pm. at the Weyhill Fairground Hall (agenda...)

Members

Mr Ian Morrison         (Chairman)
LtCol Charles Stephens (Vice-Chairman)
Mrs Suzanne Hoare    (Clerk) Tel: 01264 771469
Mrs Jean Arnell
Mrs Tanya Garman
Mr Bill Gore
Mrs Sarah Hammer
Mr Nick Hoare
Mr Ian Long
Mrs Diana Preston
Mr Ashley Smith

Mr Tim Southern           (TV Borough Councillor)
Mrs Pat West              (Hampshire County Councillor) Tel: 01264 339880

Parish Council Minutes

Official minutes recorded by the Parish Clerk -
[ Jan 2010 ] [ Feb 2010 ]

Minutes Archive: 2003 - 2009

Amport Fen Update - June 2009

Amport residents will have noticed that much work was carried out on Amport Fen in the spring (before the nesting season). A report on the current situation may therefore be of interest.

The Fen was given to the Parish Council in 2001 by the Trustees of the Amport Village Hall Charitable Trust to be held in perpetuity as a small wildlife reserve with path access and seats for public use. It was specifically not an extension of the Village Green. The Parish Council then asked the Hampshire Wildlife Trust for advice and the Trust conducted a habitat survey with two principal objectives:

	to maintain and enhance the structural diversity and biodiversity of the site
	to provide a haven for wildlife

and recommended two areas for work:

	groundworks – a cut in spring and autumn of half the site
	tree works – coppicing of trees along the millstream

A great deal of work has been done in the last six or seven years and the results have been impressive. The Fen is now rich in biodiversity and in particular it provides a habitat for species such as kingfishers, water voles, song birds, butterflies and even the elusive otter.

In early 2009, Ashley Smith, who is now a Parish Councillor, kindly agreed to take over the management of the site. This is a most significant step forward as the Fen is now looked after by real experts from the Hawk Conservancy and with Ashley’s experienced guidance, the Parish Council consider that it is now time to move on to the second of the conditions which the Village Hall Trust asked for, namely, making the Fen accessible for Amport people. Future works will therefore have the following objectives:

	to keep the millstream flowing through selective weed cutting and the removal of fallen branches
	to employ a qualified tree surgeon periodically to manage the woodland area in a safe and sensitive manner
	to install nesting boxes for song bird speciesZ
	to develop protected breeding sites for key species, such as kingfishers
	to create a meandering path into the Fen to enable Parishioners to enjoy the wildlife
	to install a picnic table and benches
	to undertake selected cutting of the Fen to encourage as rich a diversity of flora as possible

Much of this work was done earlier this year. In particular the millstream was cleared, the trees have been cut and pollarded and nesting boxes have been put in place. Future works, hopefully this winter, will include the creation of a path, the installation of picnic tables and possibly the installation of a video camera in a nesting box.

Some of this work will depend on grants but the Hawk Conservancy staff are experts in this area and the Parish Council is optimistic that funding will be available. There will of course be an annual programme of routine maintenance work.

In summary, the Fen is now expertly managed. It is well on the way to becoming a nature reserve the Parish can be proud of, with a tranquil space providing access for all and most importantly it is an area that will encourage children to become the future custodians of the Fen.
CFBS