Wildlife Ways work in Castle Bromwich

THERE will be roadworks in Castle Bromwich in the coming weeks, as work starts on the latest stage of the council's Wildlife Ways project.

Over the next month, contractors will be installing a new crossing on Hall Road, creating two new sections of cycleway along Bradford Road and making changes to road markings.

Hall Road will also see cycle lanes on the stretch between Bradford Road and Chester Road.

The alterations are part of a borough-wide scheme to encourage walking and cycling and improve habitats. Workmen will be on-site from Tuesday (May 14).

The three-year scheme, which has a budget of more than £16 million, will see activity at sites across Solihull.

In Castle Bromwich things got underway in March, with around 1,000 sq metres of wildflower turf laid along the verge in Hall Road.

And more planting is on the horizon, with plans for around 300,000 bulbs and a crop of hornbeam and scots pine trees in the suburb.

A Wildlife Ways spokesman said: "These works form part of a borough-wide project, designed to make Solihull greener. 

"Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the project will open up and improve existing routes, so allowing wildlife to flourish and helping people to walk and cycle across the borough."

It is hoped that by creating corridors to connect up green spaces, it will make it easier for creatures to travel between sites and encourage a greater range of species.

More information about the latest efforts in Castle Bromwich is available at the scheme's official website.

Factbox: 

• Wildlife Ways, previously known as Greening the Grey, was officially announced last year.
• In total, 800 trees and 3.5 million bulbs will be planted across the borough.
• One of the first projects was the planting of some 60 semi-mature trees at Marston Green Park.