Cheshire West and Chester Council has been working in partnership with Saughall & Shotwick Park Parish Council and The Mersey Forest to engage with local residents to develop ideas for the future use of land at Shotwick Park. This includes the historic parkland, woodland, grassland, streams and other habitats. An initial community engagement exercise has been undertaken (more details available here: https://participatenow.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/shotwick-park-engagement) which closed on Sunday 16th March 2025. In addition to the survey that was available for completion, I have also emailed the team with the following comments which I've included below.
Submitted by Cllr Simon Eardley, 16 March 2025:
"Thank you for your hard work on the community engagement around the future of the Shotwick Park Estate. I hope the results of this initial exercise are positive and that a large number of people have taken the opportunity to 'have their say'. I have completed the online survey, but wanted to take the opportunity to add these additional comments via email for your consideration.
I strongly support the following principles, amongst other things:
- Enhancement of the land through the creation of new woodland, better management of existing woodland and the potential positives that the creation of new community woodland has to offer the parish.
- The maintenance of, and enhancement of, public right of way access to the land.
- Creating space(s) which provide better access to nature for local people.
- Improving educational understanding of the site and its features - both the natural world and historical assets such as Shotwick Castle.
I would wish consideration to be given to the following additional points:
- Wildflower meadows. An emphasis on native species and those particular to the area is a priority in my view. Any seed mix should be species rich and those which offer the most value to native pollinators and other native wildlife. There are examples on the site already of particular wildflowers, such as the 'Cheshire county flower' - the Cuckooflower - please be sensitive to these areas and seek to increase them.
- Tree planting. Where possible, an emphasis on native species, of 'relevance' to the area would be good. Engaging the community in tree planting sessions in due course would be a valuable means to utilise the enthusiasm of residents to see this site develop in a positive and sustainable way. Given the volume of tree planting expected, then I'd hope this can easily be achieved.
- 'Oaks at 80' project. I am aware of this Mersey Forest initiative which seeks to offer a permanent (hopefully!) way to mark the anniversary of the end of WW2. The village of Saughall has important and deep association with the two world wars and the historic links between the original estate family and assets in the village, such as the Vernon Institute, mark this clearly. If a suitable location could be found within the estate to have a significant 'Oaks at 80' planting scheme, that would be welcomed. More here: https://merseyforest.org.uk/our-work/oaks-at-80/. I would be willing to consider using part of my Cllr Member Budget for hardware in such a space to offer opportunities for pause and reflection (such as benches).
- Community (fruit tree) orchard - this would be an excellent opportunity to bring the community on board and potentially offer volunteering opportunities.
- Extending the existing allotment provision in the village. If there is demand, I would be enthusiastic to see how a small area could be given over to additional allotment space in the village, possibly managed by the parish council if needed (although I have not discussed that with them!) The current allotment site is near to Shotwick House and this project could represent an opportunity to do more in this regard.
- PRoW access. This is an important consideration for the local community in my view, not least owing to the extensive use of the existing network of footpaths by recreational users (both within the parish and outside - including me!) I am aware that there may be other routes being used by people which are not formal PRoW and continued use of these ‘permissive’ sites is important to some. If we have scope to extend the PRoW network in some way, that would be welcome. Over time, and subject to resources, I would like to see improved ‘all-ability’ accessibility for some of the footpaths. This will be challenging in some places owing to the nature of the routes (steep banks / fields with clay based soil etc), but if we can help those with mobility challenges to have better access to, and enjoyment of the land, that would be an immense positive. At least one resident has raised this with me as a consideration and I support their perspective. Maintenance of the PRoW network has been patchy in the past, but a more structured and consistent approach to that would be good.
- Creation of a 'Friends of' group. Engaging the community in the future of the site and offering volunteering opportunities is a key consideration. The parish council may have a role in this - and might be able to use some of their resources to support future projects from their precept resources - but they do not necessarily have to lead the work. I believe the model of the Friends of the Countess of Chester Country Park is one that could be followed here. It is essential, though, that this is constituted in a proper way with real governance and accountability and if this is brought into being, that it is delivered in a democratic manner. There is already talk of this in the parish and some people have started to consider initiatives, but this need not be rushed and starting fresh on such a project would be important so that it is inclusive of all people. This should be considered carefully.
- The land could have an important role to play in other challenges within the parish, not least that relating to drainage and flooding. Parts of the estate are historically 'wet' (former Dee estuary land), but some infrastructure (ditches etc) have been chronically neglected over time. Maintenance of these important assets is important going forward. This includes existing ponds on the estate which may (or may not) have received good maintenance in the past. If there is scope to introduce new ponds on the estate, this should be explored in appropriate locations. There may also be locations within the estate which could offer the opportunity for radical interventions - such as the introduction of beavers in a managed way. Existing 'brooks' and water systems which cross the site, could be areas where consideration is given to this possibility. Engagement with experts on the matter would be good in due course, to explore whether this is possible. I note the Government Policy Paper on this subject (February 2025): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-release-and-management-of-beavers-in-england/wild-release-and-management-of-beavers-in-england
- Education opportunities. The estate lends itself to strong educational interpretation, including around its historic features such as the medieval ridge and furrow areas / the 'deer park' historic landscape / Shotwick Castle and, of course, the natural environment - woodland, wildflowers etc. I would be interested to see how we can engage the primary school in the site and encourage their use of it. I would be willing to provide resources from my Cllr Member Budget towards enhanced interpretation in some form (boards, other initiatives) if possible and believe that Shotwick Castle is potentially the most exciting opportunity represented here. It clearly already has fantastic historic value as a site in itself but 'bringing it to life' in some way, through modern technology, would be a real asset for the area.
There are people I have within my network who may be able to offer valuable advice and support for the future of this land, including:
- Prof. Christian Dunn (Bangor University) - an expert in wetland science and key member of the team behind the Chester Wetland Centre which is intended to be near the Countess of Chester Country Park. Christian has extensive knowledge and understanding of the value of wetlands, both preservation and creation of new, to assist with environmental objectives. Engagement with him would be helpful I believe.
- Philip Lewis (Smithy Farm - https://www.facebook.com/smithyfarmwales/). Philip runs the Saturday Saughall Farmers Market and also has expertise in hedge laying and other traditional country activities such as scything etc. I have already passed on his details; it would be good to explore opportunities to engage him in the site in the future.
- Chester Archaeological Society. At the November 2024 Cabinet meeting I made the following remarks which I would like to be noted in this exercise too in the context of 'wider stakeholders' - engagement with them in due course would be valuable, I believe:
"There is also a significant Scheduled Ancient Monument in the area, Shotwick Castle. It is located on one of the very pleasant public right of way routes.
May I draw your attention to the views of Chester Archaeological Society which are relevant in this context. They are on record as welcoming the creation of woodland, hedgerows, field ponds etc as part of attempts to reduce and mitigate the impacts of climate change and create recreational opportunities. However, they have also commented on the potential for such schemes to adversely affect fragile rural archaeological remains.
As such, they submitted comments in March 2023 on a proposed scheme of ponds and scrapes in this area and expressed concern about potential impacts on the landscape of Shotwick Castle. The report makes passing reference to this site.
Please can assurances be given that if new planting and habitat-creation schemes go ahead, proper consideration will be given to the potential impact on archaeology and also consideration for how archaeology and the public recreational benefits of heritage that arise from a site such as this."
I look forward to learning more about the outcome of the engagement exercise and working with the team in a positive way around the project in the future."
