A volunteer group is working with local authorities to rehabilitate a wildlife area destroyed for a council project that never went ahead.

Verity West, chair of volunteer environmentalist group Wild Marlow, drew attention to a muddy area outside Marlow Fire Station in May where a wildflower patch had been dug up to be replaced by turf.

She said: “This was a valuable pollinator patch, but now turf is being laid which will provide very little benefit to wildlife and need constant watering and mowing. What a terrible waste of so many things. Nature isn’t neat!”

A representative from Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue told the Bucks Free Press that the land had been earmarked by the council as part of a planned improvement project to Westhorpe junction in Marlow.

However, following a decision to stop the project in January 2023, the representative said the land will now be returned to its prior condition.

Verity West said the fire and rescue team reached out to the Wild Marlow group after becoming aware of the loss of the wildflower patch to see how the situation could be rectified.

“We were more than happy to meet them onsite to discuss the value of what was there in terms of biodiversity, especially for pollinators, as well as simple enhancements that could be made around the site to help support our local wildlife.

“We’re delighted at how well our advice and management plan was received and the enthusiasm Bucks Fire and Rescue has shown in taking action to make the improvements.

“Hopefully this can work as a ‘green print’ for biodiversity enhancements across the county at their numerous fire station sites. This is a fantastic example of community collaboration.”

Wild Marlow has now announced a ‘Conservation Workparty’, scheduled for August 2, where volunteers will help to restore the wildflower patch to its former glory.

The group is a driving force in the Marlow’s environmental policies, frequently working alongside local organisations, landowners and institutions to enhance biodiversity and protect the town’s wildlife.

In 2021, Marlow Town Council committed to a ‘pollinator policy’ that involved using its status as consultee for planning applications to assess positive and negative developmental effects on the environment.

It also pledged to support the ‘wild verges’ project whereby selected grassy verges would be monitored and cut three times a year to promote insect life.

If you’d like to get involved with Wild Marlow, visit www.wildmarlow.org.uk for more information.