Our Local Councils

In administrative Lancashire, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside covers all the local council districts. These are (in alphabetical order): Blackburn with Darwen Borough, Blackpool Borough, Burnley Borough, Chorley Borough, Fylde Borough, Hyndburn Borough, Lancaster City, Pendle Borough, Preston City Council, Ribble Valley Borough, Rossendale Borough, South Ribble Borough, West Lancashire District, and Wyre Borough. Click on the relevant link to be taken to your council's web site.

In Greater Manchester the council districts covered by this Wildlife Trust are (in alphabetical order): Bolton, Bury, Manchester City, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford City, and Wigan. Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford are covered by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust (Telephone: 01270 610 180; E-mail: cheshirewt@cix.co.uk). Click on the relevant link to be taken to your council's web site.

In Merseyside, the council districts covered by this Wildlife Trust are Liverpool City, Knowsley, St Helens and Sefton. Wirral is covered by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust (Telephone: 01270 610 180; E-mail: cheshirewt@cix.co.uk). Click on the relevant link to be taken to your council's web site.

Ecological Advisers to our Local Councils

It's important that your council should be pressed to ensure that it has professionally assessed information when making decisions on planning applications, and not just that provided by the developer. The following bodies can provide that service.

Lancashire County Council's Environment Directorate employs ecologists who can assess information on wildlife on behalf of Lancashire's district, borough and city councils. Its address is: PO Box 9, Guild House, Cross Street, Preston, Lancashire PR1 8RD; Telephone: 01772 264 148. Together with The Wildlife Trust and English Nature, Lancashire County Council operates the local Wildlife Sites system in Lancashire. Such sites are known in the county as "Biological Heritage Sites". Click here to view the selection criteria for such sites, on Lancashire County Council's web site.

In Greater Manchester, the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit (GMEU) provides advice on nature conservation issues to all the Metropolitan Borough Councils, mainly on issues affecting Wildlife Sites: these are known in Greater Manchester as "Sites of Biological Importance". Its address is: GMEU, c/o Council Offices, Wellington Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside OL6 6DL; Telephone: 0161 342 3598; E-mail: ecology.unit@tameside.gov.uk.

The Environmental Advisory Service (EAS) for North Merseyside provides advice on nature conservation issues to the Metropolitan Borough Councils of Knowsley, St Helens, and Sefton. Its address is: Bryant House, Liverpool Road North, Maghull, Merseyside L31 2PA; Telephone: 0151 934 4954; E-mail: eas@sefton.u-net.com. It doesn't have a website. In the City of Liverpool, the Wildlife Site System is operated jointly by Liverpool City Council and The Wildlife Trust, through our North Merseyside Office at Seaforth Nature Reserve, Port of Liverpool L21 1JD; e-mail: lwildlife@cix.co.uk. It is intended that this system will ultimately be merged with that of the Environmental Advisory Service.

English Nature is the UK Government's statutory adviser on nature conservation in England. It will usually become involved if a site is of national or international importance for its wildlife habitats, or supports species specially protected by national or international law. Its Cheshire to Lancashire Team covers all of Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside (as well as Cheshire) and the adjacent Irish Sea. The Team is based at Pier House, Wallgate, Wigan WN3 4AL; Telephone: 01942 820 342; e-mail: northwest@english-nature.org.uk. Under the provisions of the Natural Environment & Rural Communities Act 2006 it will become part of a new agency, 'Natural England', in October 2006.