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| Sefton Coast Partnership | Shoreline Management | Nature and Wildlife | Coastal Heritage | Visiting the Coast | Students and Teachers | Coastlines | |
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Winter 1995Ravenmeols Sefton Council Purchase land at Formby PointArticle by John Houston, Coast Management OfficerSafeguarding Public Access Years of uncertainty over development plans for the duneland at Ravenmeols ended in September when Sefton Council purchased the duneland and woodland estate from the Formby Land Company. Sefton Council is now the sole owner of all the dune area from the National Trust’s boundary at Wicks Lane to the Cabin Hill National Nature Reserve. The inland boundary is St Lukes Church Road and the seaward boundary is the mean high water mark. The beach itself is in the ownership of the Duchy of Lancaster. The purchase came about after the Land Company proposed the development of golf coarse on part of the area. The proposed was strongly opposed by Sefton Council and local residents, including the Formby Society, and, at a Public Enquiry in 1994 the Council won its case. So important is the area for nature conservation and for public access that when the estate was offered for sale in 1995, Sefton Council called on its partners to help it acquire the land for conservation purposes. With generous and prompt offers of support from the Countryside Commission and English Nature and by using European Commission funding through the LIFE project Sefton Council was able to raise the £65,000 purchase price. The land is the last piece in the coastal jigsaw and, although there is a need for some habitat restoration, it is of the highest quality for nature conservation. Part of the area is already a Local Nature Reserve and it is likely that this designation will be extended over the whole area. Ravenmeols has had a long association with human activity and if you study the landscape you can pick up the evidence of asparagus farming, sand extraction, the foundation of buildings, military defences, the layout of Formby – by – the – sea, the old promenade and tree planting. Part of the Firwood woodland is included in the purchase and this is thought to be one of the oldest woodlands on the coast, dating back perhaps 200 years. The dune area to the south of Lifeboat Road is a heaven of peace and quiet, a place for long relaxing walks and panoramic views across the wide foreshore to Liverpool and the Wirral, for bird watching and beachcombing. The area is now safeguarded and a number of new footpaths will be established. There are no plans to change the unique character of Ravenmeols. The area will be managed in accordance with the policies of the Coast Management Scheme by the leisure Services Department's Range Service. The rangers have always kept an eye on the land to prevent damage, now they will be able to take a more active role in its future.
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