A NEW Local Nature Reserve is set to open this summer following the completion by Wyre Forest District Council of the purchase of land at Hurcott Pool.
The reserve, which will provide easy access to the countryside for thousands of people, has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The land is adjacent to Hurcott village, less than a kilometre from the Kidderminster housing estates of Offmore, Greenhill, Hurcott and Broadwaters.
District council chairman John Gordon said: "I am delighted that we have managed to secure this land.
"Work is due to start in the near future to safeguard public safety at the site and we anticipate being able to open it to the public later this summer."
The land has been bought from the Highways Agency with the help of a £150,000 grant from English Nature which will work with the district council to produce a plan to maintain and enhance it.
The site will be used as a focus for the council's environmental education programme and maintained with revenue from forestry.
Councillor Ken Stokes, portfolio holder for community life, added: "This site is home to the highest quality wet woodland in the district and we are sure that local people will have many years of pleasure from visiting the new local nature reserve."
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