Invitation to Comment on New Management Plan for Littleworth Common

South Bucks District Council manages Littleworth Common. This site is an important heathland with ponds, woodland and rare plant species. The Council is working with Natural England to enhance the site and its habitats and have prepared a draft management plan to set out the proposed works for the next 10 years which the public are now invited to comment on.

Littleworth Common, located between Beaconsfield and Burnham, is a remnant of an extensive lowland heathland system that once covered large swathes of lowland Britain. Today only isolated fragments remain. These sites are now home to many endangered species.

The proposed works include:

• The removal of bracken and birch saplings to restore areas of heathland;
• Thinning of the woodland areas with clearance of some non native understory plants;
• Removal of some larger birch trees to create a more natural edge to the heathland; and
• Managing the three ponds for biodiversity

South Bucks District Councillor Bill Lidgate, Portfolio Holder for Environment said “Littleworth Common is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI.) Because of this, Natural England has stipulated that we, as managers of the site, should be endeavouring to encourage the regeneration of the natural heathers which exist under the soil. To achieve this both the bracken and birch saplings needed to be controlled and we have had a management plan in place for the last 10 years which has had some success in achieving this aim. The pond areas are also rich in both fauna and flora and fall within the scope of the overall plan.

We are now compiling a new management plan with the same aims but with considerably less resource allocated to it. Towards the end of the last management plan we established a Friends of Littleworth Common group which we would like to extend into a group who will both monitor and take an active part in the management of the common as happens on Stoke Common, but first we need your comments and that is why we are conducting this consultation exercise. The more people who understand the aims and objectives behind the work being done, and have an input into it, the better. Please take the time to respond as this common is a very popular and treasured asset.”

Residents and interested parties are asked to comment on the draft plans and complete the questionnaire. Please see the documents on the South Bucks District Council website at Littleworth Common Page.

Please return completed questionnaires to the Landscape Officer to arrive no later than 25th July 2011.

For more information please contact the Landscape Officer on 01895 837321.