'Economic waste and environmental vandalism' - Protestors anger over barriers at Wolverhampton nature reserve to deter anti-social behaviour
A campaign group for a nature reserve in Wolverhampton have spoken out about what they have described as vandalism of the area through the installation of a number of metal barriers.
Around 20 members of Tettenhall District Community Trust (TDCT) and Friends of Smestow Valley came together on Monday to voice their anger at the installation of the 50 barriers along the Smestow Valley Nature Reserve and South Staffordshire Railway Walk.
The barriers, which are two inverted metal gates with a gap in the middle, were being installed by workmen from Wolverhampton Council as part of a council response to anti-social behaviour in the area.
However, the campaigners at the protest at the Boots Land entrance to the nature reserve in Compton, which included ward councillors for the area, said they felt the barriers carried a number of risks, with people saying the barriers were unnecessary, ugly and could cause environmental issues in the area.
Protest organiser Neil Kelshaw spoke about what he said was tantamount to vandalism at the nature reserve and how he felt Wolverhampton Council had not properly consulted with the groups about the plans.
He said: "The council have progressed with their plans to install unnecessary barriers, which is against the policies of the technical neighbourhood plan.
"They are not accessible, they're damaging the environment and they're against all the policies in the plan which is about maintaining access to green spaces and green heritage.
"Nobody has been consulted from the Friends of Smestow Valley or the technical community forum, both of which are responsible for the neighbourhood plan and the policies and management of green spaces and, to me, this really amounts to economic waste and environmental vandalism."
