About

New Ferry Butterfly Park is a nature reserve

Nature reserve

A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

 managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust

Cheshire Wildlife Trust

The Cheshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Cheshire and parts of the counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, England...

.

Situated next to Bebington railway station, Wirral, New Ferry Butterfly Park is an oasis of green tranquillity in densely populated urban area. Originally abandoned railway sidings, its industrial past has been put to good use as a home for wildlife. On the thin, nutrient- poor soils which overlie old railway track beds, there are now carpets of wild flowers, including wild carrot & occasional bee orchids. The lime waste from a water softening plant has been used to create a calcareous grassland, with all the specialist wildflowers which depend in this habitat, while drifts of coal dust have transformed into acidic grassland dominated by common bent, sheep's sorrel & bird's-foot trefoil. Up to 26 species of butterfly have been recorded here, with 18 species breeding on site – giving the park its rather apt name.

Recent History

Cheshire Wildlife Trust

Cheshire Wildlife Trust

The Cheshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Cheshire and parts of the counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, England...

 (CWT) was granted the tenancy over the land in 1993 by the site’s previous owner the British Railways Board. Since then Brock PLC bought the land in 1997 in an open auction.
New Ferry

New Ferry

New Ferry is a small town located on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Situated to the east of Bebington, it is part of the Bromborough Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral South...

 Butterfly park has been under threat of closure since 2009, when leaseholder (CWT) was told to vacate the site by Frithmere Ltd. (subsidiary of Brock PLC of Ellesmere Port). Frithmere's agents suggested an alternative site for park's relocation – Bromborough Dock landfill, which currently belongs to Biffa

Biffa

Biffa Waste Services is one of the UK's largest integrated waste management businesses, providing collection, landfill, recycling and special waste services to local authorities and industrial and commercial clients.-History:...

.

On June 29, 2011, the Liverpool County Court rejected Frithmere's notice to quit as it was issued following wrong procedure. However, Frithmere could now serve a notice to quit under the 1954 Act, but the Court warned the firm would find it difficult to succeed and refused to allow an appeal, since, according to the judge: “The only grounds on which I can conceive it succeeding are on redevelopment of the site, and there may be difficulty in securing planning permission in view of the nature of this land.”

Earlier in 2010 a secret Wirral Council report recommended officials to use power under the Compulsory Purchase Order

Compulsory purchase order

A compulsory purchase order is a legal function in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that allows certain bodies which need to obtain land or property to do so without the consent of the owner. It may be enforced if a proposed development is considered one for public betterment - for...

 (CPO) to buy a butterfly park threatened with closure. Since the closure threat was announced, thousands of people have signed petitions in support of the park. Many supporters fear that Brock PLC is using the purchased land as a bargaining chip in its
dealings with the Wirral Council. Other major land developments in the region (e.g., The Peel Group and its ongoing Wirral Waters

Wirral Waters

Wirral Waters is a large scale £4.5bn development that has been proposed by the company Peel Holdings for Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England...

project) had also resulted in similar encroachments on the wildlife protected land.

The park, which after 15 years in existence, has now become an invaluable community resource and has recently attracted some 500 visitors on its Open Day (May 2011), and has also successfully hosted an open-air Art Trail for the past two years. The short-term lease currently makes it difficult to apply for grants or build a much needed all-season visitor centre. The park land supports at least 397 species, including butterflies, moths, bees and spiders.