The Riverside Green Corridor

Sara Aspley – Chief Executive, Town Trust
Tony Perks – Deputy Chief Executive, SDC

Monday 21 December, 6pm

Presentation of the concept stage of the Stratford Riverside Corridor project, a joint partnership between Stratford District Council and Stratford Town Trust. This is part of a public consultation that will run until January 2021. The corridor is the land between the River Avon and the Warwick Road, from the Fisherman’s car park at the north end through to Seven Meadows Road at the south.

The video of the presentations may be viewed on the Stratford Society's YouTube channel. The Society conducted a survey of members and has collated a response, submitted to the public consultation at the end of January. The greatest concern relates to the proposed 500-car park at the northern end of the land.

The project has secured £1.5m of grant funding from the government’s Building Better Fund, giving a unique opportunity to create new green routes into town, reduce congestion and improve air quality. With guidance from specialist conservation agencies including Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, the aim is to protect biodiversity in this area as well as create new habitats, preserving the riverside for now and future generations. Access to attractive, open space is seen as key driver for economic recovery, vital in responding to the challenges of Covid-19. The increased provision for exercise and recreation created by the scheme will encourage both residents and visitors to spend time outdoors.

The site is also known as the Warwick Road Lands or the Lench Meadows, and is designated as a Local Wildlife Site. It has recently (November 2020) been re-surveyed by Warwickshire County Council. The conservation report notes that: "The site includes a great variety of habitats including post-industrial mosaics of scrub, tall ruderal and semi-improved grassland, old neglected flood meadows, areas of marsh, swamp and fen meadow type habitats, deciduous plantation of different ages, hedges, riverside trees, ponds, wet drains and a large pool. These support a huge diversity of vascular flora (200 species found during the survey) and fauna, the latter particularly including birds and invertebrates."