management of  brill common

BBOWT land advice service report : questions & answers

A selection of questions from councillors, volunteers and residents, with answers from Alex Cruickshank and Cllr Emi Slater

1. I understand that the steering group will be chaired by Alex, at least in the first year. Has the group met yet?

No, not yet. We’ve invited existing groups who already volunteer on the common and they’re all talking about this right now. We also need to decide who else should join - and we need to choose a name! Any ideas? We’ve rejected the obvious Common Management Team to avoid confusion with the disbanded committee of that name but any other suggestions welcome.

We would really welcome some younger people interested in conservation. It will be a fantastic opportunity for us to learn from Alex who has 20 years’ experience managing common land for wildlife trusts. We also feel passionately that the new generation of Brillites should be involved in decisions concerning its future! The group will only meet four or five times a year. 

2. You mention the Higher Level Stewardship money, Emi. What’s this all about?

The Environmental Stewardship agreement is an agri-environmental scheme run by Defra in England which aims to secure widespread environmental benefits. The parish council receives an annual grant from the scheme to cover the capital and on-going costs of the managing the Common including the grazing. Our agreement ends in 2025 and the stewardship programme as a whole will also soon be disbanded. There are, however, many new opportunities for grants. For example, there’s also an exciting initiative to join the wildlife-rich areas of Bernwood Forest, River Ray and Otmoor into a “giant jigsaw puzzle of nature sites”. Brill is situated within the project area and we will be working with Alex to identify grants and funding that may apply to us in the coming months.

3. Couldn’t the common be rewilded?

Rewilding is allowing natural processes to shape the countryside. Conservation grazing is a step towards true rewilding, but this is probably as far as we want to go. Instead we will continue to use traditional methods like scrub cutting and mowing to manage the common. We will work with Alex to conserve the common and The Walks - but also to improve accessibility for people.

4. Lots of BBOWT sites request that dogs should be on leads. Is this going to happen on Brill Common?

No! Brill Common is for people to enjoy as much as it is for wildlife and nature. However, maybe some small areas, such as the pond on The Walks where newts may be breeding, or certain areas where really rare wildflowers or insect life might be flourishing, will need extra protection in the future. As Alex says, BBOWT isn’t at the helm here; the parish council is, in consultation with the steering group. Having said that, it’s worth pointing out that it’s against the law for a dog to be dangerously out of control anywhere.

5. I heard something about a new pond in Brill for dogs! Is this true?

Perhaps - but this is something we would need to discuss very carefully. At the moment it is just an idea - but please let us know what you think.

6. We have a big problem with people parking on the common. What does the report have to say about that?

This is covered by the BPC Common & Walk Policy (section 3). If you’ve not already read this document, please do so ASAP, especially if you live adjacent to the common.

7. I’m concerned about the pond in The Walks. It’s completely dried up! A long-time resident of Brill told me that this has happened because of over-zealous dredging. What do you think?

Alex: “We have had a very hot and dry spring and summer so it is not unexpected for ponds to dry out. If the pond does not retain water after plenty of rain then it is likely the base is no longer effective. The pond can be dredged and relined if necessary, but this is an expensive endeavour, so should only be undertaken if absolutely necessary.” We will certainly be discussing this in a meeting of the new common steering group.

8. Lots of people had barbecues on the common during lockdown, leaving unsightly burnt patches - plus the risk of wildfires. What can we do about this?

Alex: “Banning bbqs would probably require a new byelaw, which the parish council might like to consider.”

9. Will the cows still be on the common all year round?

Ideally, the common would be left to “rest” for certain periods. We will be looking into this in conjunction with BVCH.

10. Why are you pulling ragwort out when it’s so good for Cinnabar moths?

There has to be a balance. Our grazing cows are on the common for their whole lives so the poisons in ragwort accumulate in their bodies. Elsewhere, cattle are killed for meat when they are younger so ragwort is less of a problem. Ideally, we would have a variety of animals grazing on the common but sheep, horses and unfenced goats are just not feasible.