Joint meeting over beauty spot

FUTURE management of Stockton Heath beauty spot Ackers Pit will be discussed at a joint meeting of parish councillors and Warrington Anglers Association.
Stockton Heath Parish Council heard anglers had installed 27 fishing platforms on site and had received funding for native planting. They had also erected a temporary fence to protect nesting swans.
Clerk Peter Briggs said plans for a new parish council notice board on site were being reconsidered.
It had been suggested a free standing board might be a target of vandals – so he was looking at the possibility of getting a stronger board to be attached to the side wall of a house in Ackers Lane. The owner had given permission.
Coun Graham Roughsedge said he thought a duck found dead on the site had been attacked by a dog. He urged people to keep dogs on a lead when around the pit.
Coun Stephen Taylor had prepared a presentation on the future of the pit and this was shown to members.
His “Vision for the Future” looked at ways of managing and protecting the site and those who should be involved including the parish council, residents and anglers.
He suggested a joint management group should be set up to plan and budget for the pit over five to 10 years.
Coun Taylor said maintaining access and safety, encouraging a greater cross-section of users and protecting wildlife in the area were all important.
Coun Liz Jewkes who said: “We have a responsibility to the voters of Stockton Heath. We need to prove we have gone through all the necessary stages before spending other people’s money.”
She said work needed to be planned in a proper way to ensure everything was “transparent” to the public.
Anglers, who bought the fishing rights to the pit, have carried out work to improve the site but some councillors have previously complained anglers were carrying out work without consulting the council.
Members agreed to arrange a meeting with the anglers to consider the site’s future.