Thanks to the Southport Visiter for the use of its article by Julia Nason published today on the closure of the Sandplant, including comment from Tony Baker. Visiter copy follows:
"THE sand plant on Marine Drive looks set to be taken over by the Marshside Nature Reserve when it shuts its doors.
The William Rainford (Holdings) Ltd extraction plant is due to close for âÂÂcommercial reasonsâÂ? as soon as it completes its orders for Pilkington Glass.
Legal requirements mean the site will then be demolished and returned to its original state.
It is hoped the land, which is dedicated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), will then be turned over to the neighbouring RSPB nature reserve.
Cambridge ward councillor Sue McGuire said: âÂÂThis is awful news for the people who will lose their jobs, especially coming just before Christmas.
âÂÂBut the closure will be a relief to people living nearby who have complained about the lorries.
âÂÂNow that Rainfords have decided to call it a day, we must look to the future.
âÂÂI would like to see the council work closely with the RSPB to improve the facilities for birdwatchers and nature lovers, including a decent car park. This is an opportunity to develop tourism for Southport and create a visitor centre at the site.
âÂÂThis is one of the most important and protected sites of its kind in Europe, covered by numerous environmental controls and attracts people from far and wide.âÂ?
Sefton Council has already approached the RSPB regarding it taking over the site and it is hoped talks between the two parties will commence shortly.
Bosses at RSPB want to incorporate the land within the nature reserve to establish a visitor centre and additional parking facilities to cope with the influx of visitors.
RSPB Ribble site manager Tony Baker said: âÂÂWe will certainly be talking to the council about the possibility.
âÂÂItâÂÂs a bit early to say yet but it is something we would be interested in.
âÂÂBoth the numbers of birds and people visiting the reserve are increasing so would be nice to use the site for visitors. It is something we would like to explore with the council.âÂ?
A spokesman for Sefton Council confirmed it was a strong possibility but stated it was âÂÂearly daysâÂ? yet.
William Rainford (Holdings) Ltd refused to comment."
When the council comes to make its decision on what to do, it'll be looking at all sorts of evidence for what people want - maybe even this blog, so if you want a nice bush and pool filled migrant hotspot where the Sandplant used to be, LET ME KNOW ON THE COMMENTS LINK BELOW.
If we don't say anything now, it'll be no good complaining when Mount Baker is gone, and the Forest of Bale is a distant memory.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....
www.icsouthport.co.uk
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John,
Some suggestions:
i) The well being of the wildlife should be number one priority, not simply the well being of of RSPB members/management or of the general public, therefore:
ii) No extra car parking but do up eg re-surface the existing place.
ii) No "Martin Mere" style visitor centre, but:
iii) Locate a hide looking out into the estuary/salt marsh where "Mount Baker" now is. Elevation could be all important so if (unfortunately) the "dunes" have to be removed then a pylon hide may be the thing.
iv) Consider whether the sand plant lagoon can be enhanced/extended so that eg there is a chance of Terns nesting there.
( Presumably though demolition of the Rainford works will mean no more water run off into the lagoon) . Landscaping of the island may be necessary.
Ron
ps I guess shifting the presumably redundant Seaforth container hides up to M'side; restricting access to "Sandgrounder" hide to actual Sandgrounders when over crowded eg via a "twitch" or crap weather ; and giving Sefton Coast Rangers Sten guns to deal with wader hassling dogs is presumably not on.
Interesting ideas Ron.
I don't think they'll go for the Sten gun option though.
Over the years, the ramparts of the sandplant have given us Honey Buzzard, Tree Pipit, Black Redstart, Lapland Bunting, hell even Village Weaver (!), so for me, I guess I'd really want them to stay - Marshside simply wouldn't be Marshside without Mount Baker, the Forest of Bale, and of course, the Devil's Staircase....and they provide a perfect windbreak to plant bushes etc where the corrugated buildings of the plant are now.
Your point about the effect on the lagoons of the closure of the plant is a good one. With no run off, will the ponds ultimately stagnate I wonder?????
To return the Rainford site back to "marshland" (was it ever marshland before Rainfords?) would be a great missed opportunity.
It would also be a waste of money and resource to clear the site of its ramparts with established bushes and all the hardcore that was used in its construction. How long would it take to look natural?
Let the RSPB use this site in the best way "for birds for people for ever"
We have enough "marshland" and the people who want this site turned back should go and stand on the pier and look north, they'll see plenty of "marshland" coming at them.
I take Ron's point about a Visitor Centre and carpark in the Sand Plant compound..neither is really necessary.
However, even a casual look through the gate or from Mt Baker will confirm that the available area (with buildings and sand-piles gone) will be pretty extensive.
There should be a debate among birders as to what the priorities are.
One point about removal of the rampart, though: with the rampart gone, the high tides will simply sweep over the whole compound area; what real benefit would that be to bird or human?
I think it's essential that we fight to retain the ramparts.
I'm sure Rainford's would be pleased not to have to spend a fortune digging them out, carting the rubble away, and finding somewhere to dump it, never mind the environmental cost.
I well remember those ramparts under construction, back in the seventies; contrary to what some believe they are NOT made of sand.
The sand is only the top layer; underneath are tens of thousands of tonnes of masonry, bricks and compacted earth.
It would take a load of Semtex to shift it, and I'm all out of the stuff.
Hi John
We are hoping that RSPB will be asked to manage the site as part of the Nature Reserve following the restoration process.
The details of the restoration are a matter for Sefton Council and Rainfords.
We will be in touch when we have something more concrete.
Meanwhile the blog must provide some useful ideas - does it get 'saved' so we can refer to it in the future if need be?
Cheers
Tony Baker
Look forward to hearing about developments Tony!
All blogstuff is automatically archived - and can be found by using the links on the right hand side of the page,
John
I've had a quick read of this and would just like to add a few comments. As me and Wendy are just re-discovering birding, Marshside, being our local patch, is excellent BUT...
We must consider not only what is best for birds / environment and the birders - the most persuasive arguments will be in the form of 'this is best for the sefton area'.
The council will want to support something that is not only environmentally sound but also something that is good for Sefton and at the end of the day that means money (unfortunately).
There are many ways of achieving this but the easiest would be to attract more people to the reserve. To do this facilities would need to be in place - resurface the car park, cafe, visitor centre, small shop etc. The Rainfords site would be ideal - out of the way, un-obtrusive and zero environmental impact for massive tourism gain.
Remember - the reserve is not only for birders and Sefton will want to attract everyone from all walks of life. So I say get a visitor centre up with some bits, lets shout about what a great area we have to the world at large and give the area a facility we can be proud of.
Interesting stuff Stuart - there is enough space in the Sandplant compound for a visitor centre, car park AND new habitat though.
A nice dragonfly pool, bushes for migrants, permanent moth trap, drainpipes shoved into the ramparts to encourage a sand martin colony, jacuzzi etc
I think we CAN have our cake and eat it in this case (Hmm, a cake shop, now there's an idea....)
Regarding the Sand Plant Pools:
I think (Tony B will know for sure) that the water originates from inland (the Marshside housing estates), not from the compound, so ending sand-washing should not lead to the pools drying out.
I wonder if the pools are large enough to sustain a tern colony, though, and do we really want to take any fresh marsh out to enlarge them?
CAKE! Oh Yes.......
Hi, I have just been reading the blog about the 'Rainford Sandwinning Plant' and its possible future use as a bird sanctuary. Sounds like a great idea. It might even be considered that the different places within and around the plant are used to attract different or selected bird species.
"Mount Baker", "Devils Staircase", and the "Forest of Bale" etc, could be used as perhaps different sections of the sanctuary, anyway I think so.
Anyone out there with a map of the current locations of these places in and around the plant.
Amateur maps greatfully accepted.
Ron.