'Serene escape' allotment granted protected status

An area that has been a "serene escape" for wildlife lovers for more than 25 years has been granted protected status.

The Hempland Lane Allotments Community Wildlife Area in York, a former derelict paddock, will become an asset of community value (ACV), which means it is officially considered a site that furthers social interests and wellbeing in a community.

The area is regularly used by allotment holders, local schoolchildren and nearby residents as a quiet place to "rest, contemplate and be at one with nature", said the Hempland Lane Allotment Association.

A spokesperson said: "It is a haven for a rich variety of flora and fauna and is a crucial habitat for many species."

The group listed bats, owls, goldfinches, great tits, blue tits, woodpeckers, willow warblers, frogs and newts among the creatures that live there.

The site also has two seasonal ponds that help to drain the surrounding land.

Heworth's Hempland Lane Allotments Community Wildlife Area is currently owned by the council and the application for protected status was granted on Tuesday.

The association said: "The clearing in the woodland houses three memorial benches, paid for and placed there by people who have lost loved ones who enjoyed this quiet place.

"Recently the pond was redesigned to aid frogs and newts to flourish."

If ACV status is granted to a site and its owner then decides to sell it, they must wait for six weeks to give eligible local groups the chance to come forward with bids, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A full six-month moratorium is then triggered if a potential bidder comes forward, otherwise the building can then be sold on the open market.

The association spokesperson said: "Listing this area as an ACV would formally recognise its value to the local community."

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