'Economic waste and environmental vandalism' - Protestors anger over barriers at Wolverhampton nature reserve to deter anti-social behaviour

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."

Mr Kelshaw said the lack of consultation had been one of the most disappointing parts of the whole saga, saying that he felt Wolverhampton Council were just carrying on without listening or doing the right thing.

He said: "There was no consultation whatsoever, apart from one information meeting before Christmas, which was called after pressure from the community forum and Friends of Smestow Valley, but the work had already started.

"Then, we've had one email in response to our pressure from the council, which ignored all the issues we've raised about the policies, green spaces, damage and all those problems, basically saying they'll just continue as they are and it's the same Wolverhampton problem that happens from a lot of council plans."

As well as saying they were unsightly and detrimental to the area, Mr Kelshaw also said he felt the biggest problem was that the barriers wouldn't work and said it would have been better to have installed kissing gates at areas such as Compton Hill Drive, Old Bridge footpath, and Meccano Bridge to Old Bridge footpath.

He said: "We had a better solution with the kissing gates as these are gates you see everywhere, where you open one part and walked through, and which were particularly effective as safety barriers for dogs and children and easily accessible for people with buggies.

"These new barriers are worse and don't work as people can get through just by popping a wheelie on their bike and they're not accessible to people with wheelchairs and buggies and have actually make the problem worse.

"What we want from today and in the future is a proper dialogue with a working group consisting of the council works department, ward councillors, our community forum and Smestow Valley Friends Group, who actually manage the site, have a proper dialogue and come up with an agreeable solution that works for everyone, with the work stopping until that happens."

Among those making their voices heard was John Rowley, a trustee of the Friends of Smestow Valley, who said he was incredibly disappointed to see the barriers being set up without the people looking after the area having a say in it.

He said: "I've been working on the liaison group with a number of groups to look after this valley since 2010 and it appalled me to think that the council will put through something like this without consulting people like me who have an interest in the place.

"The biggest impact is going to be visual as it's a rural area with wooden fences and the like, but now it's going to have metal barriers around it and it's not welcoming and makes it feel like a forest of metal instead of a forest of trees.

"I see this valley as a laboratory for understanding climate change and how we might deal with it, such as retaining water for the benefit of the wildlife, but these barriers are going to push that involvement back, so I think it's just unbelievable."

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services at Wolverhampton Council, said: “The introduction of barriers at Smestow Valley Local Nature Reserve aims to protect this tranquil beauty spot from problems caused by off-road motorbikes.

“For a number of years there have been issues with racing motorcycles and antisocial behaviour at the site. 

"Gates have been smashed, businesses have suffered damage and valley users have reported feeling unsafe. 

"We are working in partnership with local police to tackle these issues. We have also listened to concerns raised by residents and have adapted the number and type of barriers being installed in certain locations as a result.

“The barriers being installed on the main paths are accessible for pedestrians, wheelchairs, mobility scooters, double buggies and bicycles, even when towing child trailers. 

"Additional motorcycle restrictors are being used in places where powered wheelchairs would find it difficult to access, for example where there are paths with steps.

“Plans to install the barriers were first outlined in 2022 and more recently, a consultation carried out as part of the current development phase of the project to improve Smestow Valley for the future asked people what they felt would improve access throughout the site.

“Of the 596 people who responded with a range of ideas, around half (49.8 per cent) suggested having more motorbike barriers. 

"By installing them, our aim is to deter motorcyclists from accessing the main footpath and causing damage and upset. We hope that they will help our local business, residents and visitors to enjoy all the valley has to offer in a peaceful and safe environment.”