Cripsey Brook Nature Reserve, Ongar

Size: 1.1 hectares

 Grid reference: TL 55043 02698 click here for streetmap.co.uk

Owners: Essex County Council/Ongar Town Council

Site Access – Pedestrian access to the site is via

a public footpath (Ongar 14) which runs through

the southern site from the High Street to Rodney  Road. This has been hardened with a granite surface suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

The story so far. Planning for creation of the Cripsey Brook Nature Reserve has been going

on for many years, but finally in 2007 negotiations between the land owners Essex County Council and Ongar Town Council were finally agreed allowing work to start.

The site itself is situated to the south west of Chipping Ongar Town Centre and occupies a

thin strip of land between the Cripsey Brook and residential development. The land has been divided in two by a new fence creating a northern section (marked red on the map below) and a southern section (black on map). The history and management of these two areas over the last 25 years has been quite different and this will remain for the next 5 years or so. The southern area to the High Street end will have open public access whilst the land to the north will be restricted.

The northern section (0.49h) has a long history of grazing donkeys and ponies as a number of the local residents held a garden licences issued by Essex County Council. As a result of the grazing this section has been maintained as a short grass and many wildflowers still survive. Grazing ceased in 2007.

The southern area (0.63h) was totally different and had been unmanaged for around 25 years. Consequently, bramble and scrub had taken over what was once an open field. The grazed land over the fence line clearly provides a clue as to what it would have once looked like. When work began this area had little floristically and was totally dominated by bramble. The only interest was a number of large willow coppice stools.

In October 2007, the project began as Countrycare working in partnership with the Town Council started to transform the redundant land into a nature reserve and public open space.

Funding for the project was secured from Essex County Council (£10,000) and the BBC Breathing Spaces (£6,500) and this has enabled a whole range of projects to be undertaken to improve the site.

 

The initial job was to turn back 25 years of neglect which meant clearing bramble and years of fly-tipping, but by the summer of 2008 this was largely completed. Work has also been undertaken to improve access with an upgrade of the existing footpath and a new ramp from the High Street. 

 

The future: The site has huge potential for both public amenity as well as for its biodiversity. Situated on the edge of the town it has a large population on its doorstep and with a mixture of trees and grassland centred on the Cripsey Brook it will be ideal for a range of species including Kingfishers. 

Over the next few years work will focus on the creation of new hedges and copses with a new wildflower meadow on the southern area and the enhancement of the existing grassland to the north. The project will take several years to be fully complete, but already there is a huge difference. See the bottom of the page for links to updates and views of the site. 

 Management Objectives for the future of this project will be:

• Maintain and enhance the sites value to existing wildlife by management of the river habitat, its banks and the trees and grassland areas on the site.

• Create new species rich habitats such as grassland where land has been cleared and this is deemed appropriate.

• Increase the sites amenity value through improving the sites overall attraction and appeal.

• Promote the educational value of the site, particularly to local schools.

• Maintain and enhance access to the site for all the Community.

Project Updates and Views of the site. 

• Views of the site in February 2009
• View of the site June 2009