ASHFORD GREEN CORRIDOR

Local Graffitti artist Graham Upton and young asylum seekers from the Downs View 'Finding Your Feet' project revamped a graffiti wall in the heart of the Green Corridor. The wall in Watercress Fields had been well used over the years but it was in need of a colourful makeover. The wall now gives the area a family friendly feel having a variety of creatures found locally to welcome people to the park and adjacent play area. One side of the wall was retained as a graffiti wall and so far the two art forms have co-existed well together!

Students from the Ashford College of Art and Design are working on designs for two public arts projects. The designs based around riverside heritage and wildlife will be used for a large mural in the vicinity of the International Passenger Station and to provide seating at Queen Mother’s Park, Henwood.

Ashford Bird Watching Club surveyed birds throughout the Green Corridor. The survey covered most of the Green Corridor from Great Chart to South Willesborough. Species spotted included kingfisher, reed and sedge warbler and green woodpecker.

Kent Probation Service provided help to create glades at Buxford Wood, Singleton. The small wet woodland and nearby meadow have been designated a SNCI by Kent Wildlife Trust as the area contains a variety of wet habitats. Woodland glades created in the past have opened up parts of the wood encouraging a greater range of ground dwelling plants including water mint which provides a very minty fragrance when walking through the wood!

Four sites in the Green Corridor were surveyed for small mammals. Harmless Longworth traps were used at all of the sites. Little Burton open space a site in the floodplain, recorded 2 vole species (bank and field) as well as woodmice. Past scrub planting gave good shelter and protection for small mammals at Boys Hall where large numbers of small mammals were trapped.

Work to develop meadow areas at the recreation ground at the end of Cudworth Road in South Willesborough will be underway in the spring. The meadows will be created by stripping away or herbiciding turf and re-sowing with a variety of wildflower species. Introducing new meadow areas into an urban area is beneficial for a range of wildlife including butterflies and other invertebrates.

Pollarded trees are a feature of the riverside in Ashford and many can be seen throughout the Green Corridor. Ash and willow were re-pollarded at Buxford Meadow, Singleton. Tree Surgeons used specialised techniques developed both to stabilise the trees for the future and to attract wood degrading fungi. Encouraging a range of fungi associated with breaking down woody structures is beneficial for pollards as they create a variety of habitats for invertebrates.

The Ashford Green Corridor project secured Heritage Lottery Funding in 2004 to carry out a number of community projects which included the development of a website. The website is now online at www.ashfordgreencorridor.org.uk and lists details about the green corridor including maps, events listings, news and community projects.

Two ponds have been created on the site of the Great Chart Rifle Club. The first dug in early 2004 attracted insect life soon after it was created. The second is to be dug early in 2005 and will visually enhance the area and improve wildlife habitat.

New houses aren't the only type of construction that is happening in Ashford. Parklife, commissioned by Ashford Borough Council have been carrying out extensive habitat creation work in South Willesborough. The work included the creation of amphibian scrapes and an edible hedge. The area is locally known as 'Frog Island' due to its floodplain location so was ideal for creating new wetland habitat.

Ashford Green Corridor Community Forum

Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership
4, Javelin Way, Henwood, Ashford, Kent TN24 8DH
0300 333 6490
kentishstour@kent.gov.uk