Clifton Backies Nature Park

In 1991 York Natural Environment Trust (YNET) was involved in a Public Planning Inquiry into a proposal by Persimmon Homes to develop land at Water Lane, Clifton, York. The group had first become involved in the land in 1989, when the York Green Site Survey run by Martin Hammond, which had been initiated by YNET, highlighted it as a valuable amenity and wildlife resource.

The Planning Inspector, after a week long Inquiry, overruled Persimmon’s plans and after that negotiations began between Persimmon and Ryedale Council and a number of others involved to preserve a part of the site whilst permitting Persimmon to develop the rest. The product was what is known as a Section 106 agreement, which allocated an area of the site as a nature reserve, a section as a play area and also provided a commuted sum of money to be used in the management of the nature reserve.

The Section 106 agreement was signed in 1993 but it took until late 1997 when the site had moved in to the control of the new unitary authority, the City of York Council, that the work of the Clifton Backies Management Board actually began. This was commensurate with the work of the developers as outlined in the agreement.

Historically, in recent memory, the site had been part of the former Clifton Airfield but after its last use in the Berlin Airlift in the late 1940’s, it had returned to nature and become both a local amenity with concrete pathways making for easier access and a wildlife area as lack of cutting allowed scrub to develop.

Originally the land belonged to St Mary’s Abbey and would have been used for growing arable crops. After the dissolution of the monasteries the land ended up with a family named Robinson. The area was part of a furlong or field known as Moor Broats, which was within the Parish of Clifton’s arable fields, which were cultivated under the strip farming system in medieval times. There is evidence from a dispute over the site that the land was originally enclosed (by hedges) in the 1590’s. The current ridge and furrow appearance of the fields is as a result of this. Due to the slight curve of some of the ridged furrows we are able to identify the work as having been done by a plough drawn by oxen. There is also some evidence that part of the site might have still been under arable management into the nineteenth century.

The land has thus, until relatively recently been under the plough and it is only in recent years that it has taken on its wild appearance. However, the lack of artificial fertilizer and weed killer, which are so much a part of modern-day farming, has allowed a varied flora and fauna to survive.

From this it may be seen that the Backies is not only a site for observing wildlife but also for observing and recording history, whether from the monastic times or to its use in the first half of the twentieth century as an airfield. A number of paths remain from the 1940’s; the Management Board has added others and all permit a wider public to see where our ancestors worked and also to see how a lack of pesticides and fertilizers has permitted a variety of wildlife to remain. We have also been fortunate that a number of people have monitored its wildlife during the period as an unofficial public park and although it is sad to say that these demonstrate the loss of some species, it is hoped that good management will encourage the return of these and some new ones to appear.

There is also a Freinds of Clifton Backies group which can be contacted via the Council's LNR officer.