BURY Council is staging a public consultation over proposals to declare Redisher Wood the fourth Local Nature Reserve in the borough.

A public meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Tuesday, February 24, in the main library of Woodhey High School to discuss the plans. The three existing Local Nature Reserves are Philips Park, Chesham Woods and Hollins Vale.

Bury Council's Local Nature Reserve project is funded by a grant from the New Opportunities Lottery Fund via English Nature.

The grant scheme encourages local authorities to develop and manage local nature reserves, with an essential part of the project being to encourage communities to take an active interest in the improvement of their local environment and its wildlife value.

Bury has adopted English Nature's target of providing one hectare of local nature reserve for each 1,000 people. The inclusion of Redisher Woods, at Holcombe Brook, will take the project nearer to this goal.

Next week's meeting will provide an opportunity to find out more about the project, to meet the Local Nature Reserve Officer and to help decide the priorities for management work in Redisher Wood.