Danes Moss since 1945 and the 1970's Restoration
Danes Moss since 1945 and the 1970s Restoration
How Danes Moss has changed in the last 80 years
A comparison of Danes Moss from 1945 in black and white on the left and 2022 on the right in colour.
It can be seen the landfill site in the centre has permanently destroyed this part of the moss.
It can be seen the SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) to the south appears much wetter with the additional pond area that was created. The wet woodland has generated towards the north east area which is now the key habitat for the Willow Tit. Prior to this it was much more open and gives an indication how dynamic our landscapes are when viewed over longer timescales.
The main change in the area adjacent to the moss has been the building of the retail park.
Sadly the whole area to the south of this, bordering Lyme Green, has recently been given planning permission as the Gaw End Lane development. As can be seen this borders a significant section of the Danes Moss SSSI. No environmental mitigation for biodiversity has been done in the planning process for potential impact on the SSSI or an understanding of how the increased population would impact recreational use of the moss.
Views of the Moss at the start of the 1970’s Restoration
The following pictures show the southern part of Danes Moss in the early 1970’s at the point it was defined as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This was prior to the rewetting and it can be seen there is a lot of Purple Moor Grass (Molina) and Heather, it is also a lot more open.
A similar open habitat can be seen today in the north west of the proposed development area. It gives definitive proof of how the vision for the future without development would safeguard this rare habitat and carbon store for the future.
