Goss Meadows (east), Leicester
Selected Wild Place / Other Wild Places / Public Rights of Way / VC55 boundary
The site is accessed via several gates off the footpath adjacent to Anstey Lane. The site is open access. A regular bus service from the city centre serves the local community (check bus time table and numbers for up-to-date information). There is no car park and only limited parking is available in nearby streets.
Nature reserve (Leicester City Council)
Local Wildlife Site
Site species count:
Goss Meadows LNR is a long narrow strip of grassland that is separated out into a number of meadows demarcated with fencing. It was an old drovers road into the city and now forms part of the more extensive green wedge on the north-western outskirts of Leicester and stretches from the bottom of Anstey Lane to the major roundabouts at Beaumont Leys.
The green network of sites adjacent to Goss Meadows adds value with the City Farm and Gilroes Cemetery located directly adjacent to the west.
The site was previously managed by Groundwork Leicester and Leicestershire and The Conservation Volunteers. It is currently managed by the City Leicester Environmental Volunteers and Parks maintenance teams.
The site is also a Local Wildlife Site due to its botanical diversity and mosaic of habitats.
The site is mainly made up of species-rich neutral meadow grassland which contains small areas of uncommon wild flowers such as Spiny Restharrow and Bee Orchid. The west boundary of the site has mature trees and an old hedgerow which provide important nesting and foraging habitat. The grassland beneath the trees is heavily shaded and tends to be more lush and dominated by Cow Parsley, Hogweed and willow herb.
The meadow areas attract a range of insects but these are currently under-recorded.
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