Directorate of Environment & Regeneration Services

Libraries and Community Information

Local Studies and Archive Centre, Central Library, Townley Road, Bexleyheath, Kent. DA6 7HJ. Fax: 020 8304 7058

www.bexley.gov.uk

Susan Davis

Dear Ms Davis

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST

Your request for information about Ecological Protection Schemes for Road Verges has now been considered (under the FOI and the Environmental Information Regulations) and the Council's response follows:

You asked the following questions:

“If you run an ecological protection scheme for road verges in your area, please could you provide me with the following details:

a) what protection measures a verge receives when it is included in the scheme

b) the list of verges covered by the scheme (and their locations -
road name/number and six figure OS grid references would be fine)

c) for each verge, the specific reasons why the verge has been included in the scheme - i.e. the notable species found there, or the NVC community present

If you do not run such a scheme in your area, but you are aware that another body does, please could you refer me to them instead.

Response:

We have no structured Environmental Protection scheme or similar for highway verges, although some are managed to benefit wildlife but this is not a co-ordinated scheme. A few of our verges are within “sites of importance for nature conservation” thus have a level of protection afforded to them. These are:

Erith Marshes (Metropolitan site) - Eastern Way verges

Ruxley Gravel Pits (metropolitan site) - Edgington Way, Sidcup DA14 5BN

We are unaware of any other schemes in our area.

If you are unhappy with the way the authority has handled your request, you

may ask for an internal review. Please contact Mr Chris Loynes, Head of Citizenship and Member's Services, Room 338, The London Borough of Bexley, Civic Offices, Broadway, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA6 7LB, who will arrange an internal review of your case. Under Regulation 11(2) this needs to be done no later than 40 working days after the date of this letter.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the

right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The

Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Telephone:   01625 545 700
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

John Grosvenor

Local Studies Librarian and Freedom of Information Officer

Request sent as requested to:

[FOI #9339 email]