Hocombe Mead: Local Nature Reserve
(LNR) Declaration
Hocombe Mead Local Nature Reserve (LNR)
Hocombe Mead was declared as a Local Nature
Reserve on 22 February 2008. The Chandler's Ford and
Hiltingbury Local Area Committee approved the
declaration during their meeting on 20 February
2008.
Site map and LNR boundary
View a map showing the Local Nature Reserve
boundary
-
View an online map (opens in a new window, and
allows you to view parts of the site close up)
- Download a pdf map
(300kb) (opens in a new window, and shows pedestrian access
points)
The Council ran a public consultation on
the proposal to declare Hocombe Mead in Chandler's Ford as a
Local Nature Reserve (LNR) under the National Parks and Access to
the Countryside Act, 1949. The 4 week consultation period took
place during November/December 2007.
The Hocombe Mead Reserve
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Hocombe Mead, lying between Hiltingbury Road
and Hocombe Road, is an 8 hectare countryside site owned and
managed by Eastleigh Borough Council. The ancient woodland and
meadows at Hocombe Mead are over 400 years old and support many
special plants and animals, including purple loosestrife and 29
species of butterfly.
The Reserve is bordered on all sites by
residential properties and can be accessed by pedestrians from
Hiltingbury Road, Hocombe Drive and the northern end of Ashdown
Road (map available below).
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Reasons for LNR status
- Because many local people visit Hocombe Mead
to enjoy its unique open space and special wildlife, Hocombe Mead
is an ideal ‘Local Nature Reserve’ (LNR).
- Local Nature Reserve status is a statutory
designation which recognises the wildlife importance of a site to
the local community and shows a commitment by the Council to manage
its land to conserve and enhance its special wildlife quality.
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A ringlet butterfly
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Where can I find out more information on LNRs?
More about Hocombe Mead and LNR status:
Will the management of Hocombe Mead change now it is
designated an LNR?
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Two Ayrshire cows
enjoying
their surroundings.
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Eastleigh Borough Council will continue to
manage the site to benefit its special wildlife features and
facilitate public access. A site management plan is being followed
by the Countryside Service and we are already seeing the wildlife
benefits of reinstating coppicing in the woodland and cattle
grazing in the ancient wet meadow. Cattle supplied by a local
grazier were re-introduced to the Reserve in 2006 and have
been working hard during summer months eating scrub that would
otherwise smother the flowers in the meadow.
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Will any visitor facilities improve as a result of the LNR
designation?
| Eastleigh
Borough Council is working in partnership with The Grasslands Trust
to investigate funding opportunities to improve visitor access to
the Reserve. We would like to upgrade the interpretation boards at
the site entrances, improve some of the older boardwalk areas, and
introduce trail marker posts to the Reserve to help guide people
around the site. If you have any comments about visitor facilities
on the Reserve please contact Dave Payne, Countryside Officer,
Itchen Valley Country Park, Allington Lane, West End, Southampton,
SO30 3HQ. Tel: 023 8047 5086 or e-mail dave.payne@eastleigh.gov.uk. |
A section of boardwalk
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How can I get involved with Hocombe Mead?
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Fungi recently seen on the
Reserve
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The Countryside Service is always looking for people to help
with practical management tasks on the Reserve. We are also
keen to be sent sightings or photographs of the wildlife spotted on
the Reserve.
To find out more about how you can get involved, and if you have
any ideas on how you can help, please contact Dave Payne,
Countryside Officer, Itchen Valley Country Park, Allington Lane,
West End, Southampton, SO30 3HQ. Tel: 023 8047 5086 or e-mail
dave.payne@eastleigh.gov.uk
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Hocombe Mead & its Management Plan
A management plan for Hocombe Mead was written
by one of the Council’s Volunteer Rangers in 2005. The Management
Plan covers the period 2005-10 . It is split into the
following sections:
If you have any comments about the management of Hocombe Mead,
please contact Dave Payne, Countryside Officer, Itchen Valley
Country Park, Allington Lane, West End, Southampton, SO30 3HQ or
e-mail dave.payne@eastleigh.gov.uk.
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Page Last Updated: 5/13/2008
Eastleigh Borough Council
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Eastleigh Borough Council, Civic Offices, Leigh Road, Eastleigh, SO50 9YN
Telephone: 023 8068 8068, Fax: 023 8064 3952, Text: 07797 877001
Email:
direct@eastleigh.gov.uk