Sheepwash is a Local Nature Reserve, and we want to keep it that way as a friends of group.
I deliberately chose to use the word “protect” in the domain name for this website, and not “The Friends of Sheepwash” as I believe that the site and its designation to be more important than a group of people who use the name. There will never be any promotion of individuals or their business interests and nor are we here to promote the interests of Sandwell council- this is about the history of the site, and a celebration of what has been achieved, and a campaign to keep it from being turned into something else.
As an “urban park” the site was not protected, from development, from external users and from individuals within the council itself; it wasn’t that long ago that some bright spark was talking about creating a nine hole golf course- no thanks, not then, not now, not ever!
It is also recognised that green space within Sandwell is coming under widespread attack from development, attack because politicians are using the term “brownfield land” to describe areas that have re-wilded which could become local nature reserves like sheepwash instead of more monopoly box houses to line the pockets of the construction industry.
You only have to look at the former Black Country plan to see the proposals of how many houses have been prescribed in the Lower Tividale area that borders Sheepwash to see that Sheepwash is under pressure from multiple sides, including the wildlife corridor of the canal.
We made representations at every stage of that plan, and have again in the Sandwell plan, opposing these development proposals, and talk of “garden cities” and anything else to window dress such developments will be opposed at every stage of the planning process to protect sheepwash.
There have also been other sites such as the Londonderry Playing fields, ripped up to build the aquatics centre, and the axe hanging over Lion Farm Playing Fields, and the highly controversial Brandhall Golf course development where it was clear that the majority of local people responding were against those plans.
Even though we have sort answers as to rumoured car parks on Sheepwash and have voiced our total opposition to such schemes, there are individuals who used to be in Sandwell Council who appear to have pushed this agenda privately outside of our group, and we would say to them, you have no business case to use tax payers money in this way, are pushing something which evidentially attracts anti social behaviour on every other Sandwell open space site where there are car parks, and go against the council’s own “climate emergency” and air quality agenda when the majority of site users visit the site by foot- which is to be encouraged is it not?
Let us also see how Sandwell Valley has eroded over the last 20 years from a nature reserve status into a “country park” free for all where competing uses, multi events and mass gatherings of people including disposable barbeques and swimming with dogs in swan pool are now the norm there every weekend. We will never want to see any of this at Sheepwash, and we wish to “protect” it from anyone who does.
And let us also raise the issue of how we as a friends group found out that Sheepwash had no bye-laws, when someone in Sandwell council failed to enact them when the site became a nature reserve in 2001, despite written evidence from officers at that time that this would be a formality!
In this regard, we use the term “protect” with good purpose and intention, and reserve our own counsel on what to call this website, thank you very much!
As for The Friends group, I wish to carry on the work of previous Chairs, Geoff Williams, Malcolm Beckley, Fred Perry and Chris Adams in recognising that Sheepwash is a resource to be used for education and to protect and preserve nature first and foremost, and where conflicts of interest arise, the needs of wildlife will take priority- as per our constitution.
Some individuals who have never even attended any of our meetings have previously bad mouthed us via social media and have no idea as to the hundreds of hours put in by campaigning, rescuing wildlife, reporting incidents and giving statements, to dealing with pollution incidents. Not everything we do has to be a self publicity photo opportunity or rolling progress report and much of the time it is just left to a couple of individuals who do more than moan.
We will continue to press with your support a site that is welcoming and has the facilities and fair share of the cash that it deserves. We will always hold the council to account and not stop campaigning to keep Sheepwash a place where wildlife can thrive and is protected.
Ian Carroll. Chair The Friends of Sheepwash Local Nature Reserve.