This week, Something for the Weekend takes us to a redeveloped local beauty spot – Silverlink Park Local Nature Reserve – with an unexpected past…
Silverlink Park Local Nature Reserve (LNR) spans approximately 18 hectares in the heart of Cobalt Business Park, near the A19. It comprises the Silverlink Biodiversity Park and West Allotment Pond.
The site, once a rubbish tip, was transformed into a country park in 1996 as part of a new development scheme. In 2005, it was designated a Local Nature Reserve due to its significant biodiversity.
The reserve boasts a variety of habitats, including woodland, scrub, hedgerows, grassland, tall herbs, wetlands, and exposed rock areas. It’s particularly renowned for its rich amphibian and invertebrate populations. The ponds and ditches are vibrant with life, housing pond skaters, blue-tailed damselflies, and whirligig beetles. Visitors can spot deer, foxes, brown hares, and rabbits in the grasslands, while kestrels often hover overhead. The grassland is also a haven for butterflies, such as the meadow brown, common blue, and small white.
Atop the central hill, a giant sundial marks the site, giving it the nickname ‘Sundial Park’. Free parking is available on-site, directly opposite the Village Hotel on The Silverlink North.
