Help for rare birds on track

A rare species of bird must be protected before a £7 million Network Rail training centre can be built in Walsall, planners have ruled.

A special landscape for the black redstarts must be created by the time Network Rail builds its Midlands training centre. Railway lines and sidings are prime foraging ground for the birds, which are only found in industrial areas.

Planners insist the firm must use low nutrient soil and gravel instead of traditional landscaping with trees and bushes, should it win permission.

The Express & Star revealed last week that Network Rail, which maintains Britain's railway network, wanted to build its brand new hi-tech training centre in the borough. It will employ 13 permanent staff and take on 150 trainees every two years.

Walsall Council's planning committee is due to hear the proposals tonight and the plan is recommended for approval.

Network Rail spokesman Keith Lumley said today: "The training centre is going to be a hi-tech facility that Walsall will be proud of.

"The cost of the landscaping for the birds will be included in the overall cost."

Black Redstarts were first discovered in 1926 in London's Docklands area.

Since then pairs have been found in clusters across the country but mainly in London and The Black Country.

Network Rail, wants to extend its depot in Corporation Street West, Pleck, into a rail maintenance and safety facility to train staff.

The five-acre site between the Walsall-Birmingham railway line and Queen Street cemetery will feature a large single-storey building including classrooms, practical training areas, toilets and a smaller workshop for welding.