Lafarge Tarmac renew Medway Nature Reserve lease

Restoration project to create 11.5 acres of wildlife habitat and local community amenities

THE lease of Holborough Marshes Nature Reserve, near Snodland, has been renewed by landowners Lafarge Tarmac with the Kent Wildlife Trust.

The environmental restoration project will create an additional 11.5 acres of wildlife habitat (formerly arable land), increasing the area now managed for its wildlife to a total of 96 acres (39 hectares). It will provide local communities in Snodland and the Medway valley access to a beautiful section of the river Medway.

The Reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) designated for its marshy grassland, fen, reed bed and freshwater ditch communities, as well as being home to a number of important breeding birds, including nightingale, Cetti’s warbler and lapwing.

The SSSI conservation area is also bucking trends with its thriving population of water voles – the UK’s fastest declining mammal. The Reserve’s circular walk includes routes by a river wall alongside the river Medway, which is tidal in this area.

Mark Heeley, property manager for Lafarge Tarmac, said: ‘The continued partnership between Lafarge Tarmac and Kent Wildlife Trust in this nationally important site has achieved much for wildlife conservation in the last 15 years. The renewal of the lease for a further 15 years demonstrates Lafarge Tarmac's commitment to the continued husbandry of this flourishing nature reserve.’

John Bennett, chief executive of Kent Wildlife, added: ‘The Trust values highly our partnership with Lafarge Tarmac and we are delighted with their renewed support for one of our most precious and important sites for wildlife in the Medway region.’