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Godstone Parish Council

Blindley Heath Common

 Blindley Heath Cricket Club play traditional village green cricket on the area known as Blindley Heath Common.  The Cricket Club was founded over 100 years ago, and has a long and profound history.

SSSI Site

blindley heath commonSite of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

The SSSI is owned by Godstone Parish Council and was designated a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) by Tandridge District Council in 1991. It became apparent that a more active management strategy would be needed if a more dramatic improvement in the condition of the site was to be achieved, and that it would benefit from the management skills of a specialist conservation organisation. In January 2012 Surrey Wildlife Trust were appointed to manage the site on our behalf with a 25 year agreement signed. The former Management Committee has become a Liaison Group, still involving the Parish Council, Surrey Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Tandridge District Council, a local farmer and residents living around the common.

Blindley Heath SSSI site is situated in the southern part of Godstone Parish, approximately 26 hectares (63 acres) of grassland, scrub, woodland and ponds. Lying just south Ray Lane at Blindley Heath the common is open to the public at any time with access from public footpaths in the area. The site is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is important for wildlife and plant life being an area of damp grassland, scrub and woodland lying on Weald Clay. It is home to a number of plants and invertebrates which are rare in Surrey as well as protected species of reptiles and amphibians. The grassland supports a variety of acid soil loving plants typically found on the Weald. There are several ponds around the site and together with the Ray Brook, these provide additional wildlife habitat.

To allow the site to be properly managed it was fenced in 1998 and since then cattle belonging to a local farmer have grazed there, while volunteers have carried out occasional scrub clearance. A number of the ponds have been restored with grants from various organisations and companies.

 
Surrey Wildlife Trust is keen to involve more local people on a voluntary basis to manage the site, for example helping with scrub clearance. If you are interested in volunteering please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and keep track of schemes for volunteers on the SWT website: http://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/how-you-can-help
 
 

Subcategories

 
The Neighbourhood Plan Committee are working hard to prepare.