Troopers Hill Management
1992 to 2012
This page describes the Management Plans produced in 1992, 1999, 2004 & 2007 and the works carried out in the periods covered by the plans.
2007 Management Plan
The 2007 Management Plan for Troopers Hill Local Nature Reserve was produced jointly by Bristol Parks and Friends of Troopers Hill and adopted in January 2007.
For the purpose of the plan the hill was divided up into 11 compartments and the management aims for each area were set out, together with details of how they would be achieved. As well as the main document there were three maps, all are available for download as pdf files.
As well as ensuring the Hill was well managed, this plan was also used to support Bristol City Council's application for a Green Flag Award for the site. That application in 2007 was sucessful when the Hill became one of only two sites in Bristol to receive the award.
The Hill was also then awarded a Green Flag in each of the following six years. Bristol City Council has not entered any of its sites for Green Flags since 2013.
The 2007 plan initially covered a five year period to April 2012. An additional year was added to the plan at each annual review so that we were always looking 5 years ahead.
Friends of Troopers Hill learnt a great deal about the ecology of Troopers Hill since the original plan was produced in 2004 and this allowed us to plan an improved management regime. Our initial focus had been to try and maintain the hill in its current state, but with the support of Bristol Parks we were able to work towards improving the habitat with particular focus on the acid grassland and heathland. This work continues with the adoption of the 2012 plan.
Works and Projects 2007 - 2012
Habitat Management 2007 - 2012
As with the 2012 plan, the main focus of the 2007 plan was habitat management. Works were carried out each winter to clear areas of bramble and scrub in accordance with the principles adopted in the plan and described here.
Following more extensive clearance work in the first two winters of the period the main focus changed to revisiting those areas cleared in previous winters and removing any regrowth of trees, scrub or bramble.
The work is part of an ongoing process to improve the environment of the hill and to protect the heathland and grassland. This work was managed by Bristol Parks in consultation with Friends of Troopers Hill. Friends of Troopers Hill helped throughout the period with bramble clearance and other labour intensive tasks at our regular Work Parties.
Most of the work was done in the winter to avoid disturbing nesting birds - Report on 2011/12 winter works
Photos: 2008/9 Winter works
- 2007/8 Winter works.
An area of grassland at Greendown was cut each year by contractors working for the Council as a hay meadow - photos here.
Management tasks were also sometimes required in response to events such as a fire in July 2010 and sometimes acts of vandalism, of which we had a spate in 2011, but they are generally rare. A speedy response to incidents and the sense that the hill is well looked after we think tends to reduce incidents.
You can see how the hill has changed since 1998 here.
Surveys of two of the areas cleared in the winter 2006/7 showed encouraging signs that heathland plants were re-establishing themselves - download the report here.
Troopers Hill Stepping Forward - 2011 - £30,000 for Troopers Hill
In December 2011 Friends of Troopers Hill learnt that they had been successful in their Stage 2 application to Groundwork UK for funding from the Big Lottery through their Community Spaces Programme. The project was to improve access to Troopers Hill and encourage visits from groups such as 'Walking for Health'. Work in putting together the application, carrying out a consultation with local residents and commissioning an ecological survey took 12 months following the stage 1 award in Dec 2010. This application was in accordance with objectives 7.2.10.4 & 7 of the Management Plan.
More information on the Stepping Forward Project >>
Troopers Hill Road Works - 2010
Works were carried out from 11th to 13th October 2010 to address the
problems of over-hanging trees and earth falls along Troopers Hill Road.
The works were required due to health and safety concerns and involved tree
management including the removal of low branches, as well as reducing the surplus soil
build up behind the fence along Troopers Hill Road.
Photos and more information >>
Mine Shaft Subsidence - 2010
A crater near the top of the hill was fenced off while
Bristol City Council and the Coal Authority investigated some subsidence.
This was due to old mine workings
collapsing. Excavations were needed to check whether there was a danger of
any further collapse and to make the area safe.
More Information >>
Additional Litter Bin - 2010
Many of the users of Troopers Hill pick up litter as they walk round and this is particularly true of early morning dog walkers who often clear cans an bottles left from the evening before. In early 2010 we were approached by a dog walker who sugested that a litter bin should be placed near the entrance to the LNR from Troopers Hill Field to avoid the need to leave bags of collected litter under the dog waste bin.
This was discussed at our meeting in May and it was agreed that Friends of Troopers Hill would ask for donations towards the bin and then pay the rest of the cost from our funds; Bristol Parks agreed to empty it and maintain it. Nearly £100 was donated and the bin was installed in early September 2010.
As with benches (see below) we are keen to maintain the wild appearance of Troopers Hill LNR and avoid too much furniture on the hill so we have always resisted suggestions to place litter bins on the LNR and this continues to be our position.
New Benches - 2009/10
As part of the Management Plan (objective 7.2.6.5) we produced a seating plan - additional seats were the most requested improvement in the 2002 Visitor Survey and have often be mentioned since. Two seats were installed in 2007 by Bristol Parks at the top of the hill and these have proved very popular. Three more of the benches shown on the plan have been installed as part of our
YANSEC funded project to replace some installed in 2006 that were then vandalised. All the seating shown on the plan is now in place.
While additional seating is still asked for, we are also aware that many people do not want to see too much furniture on the hill as this might spoil its wild appearance; it is therefore necessary to keep a balance.
In 2009 we were approached by a family that wanted to donate a bench to Troopers Hill as a memorial. Our Community Parks Officer suggested a location where he thought that an extra bench would be beneficial, without impacting on the appearance of the hill. We agreed that this would be a good location. We are pleased to say that this new bench has now been installed by Bristol Parks at the top of the steps leading up from Greendown.
Greendown Entrance - 2009
Works to improve this entrance were carried out in 2009 as part of a project which had a total cost of £21,500.
Bristol Parks provided 10% of this funding while Friends of Troopers Hill were awarded a grant from YANSEC for the remaining 90% -
you can see details and photos of the works here.
The work was carried our in accordance with a design produced with funding from Awards for All. This work was in accordance with objective 7.2.10.6 of the Management Plan to improve safety and access at the entrances from Troopers Hill Road.
Wheelchair Path - 2007
A new path was constructed in April 2007 to provide wheelchair access to the top of the hill. This was also part funded by YANSEC.
YANSEC Wheelchair Path Project Page
Design for Entrance at Lower Chimney
A design to improve the appearance of the entrance by the lower chimney was produced it was funded by a Lottery Grant through Awards for All received in September 2007. The design was not priced but was intended to form part of a future bid to include restoration work to the lower chimney.
Awards for All Project Page
Design for Entrance F - Lower chimney (pdf 13Mb)
2004 Management Plan
The 2004 plan and the updates produced in April 2005 and 2006, can be downloaded as pdf files using the links below.
This plan was produced by Rob Acton-Campbell of Friends of Troopers Hill with support from Sally Oldfield, Local Nature Reserves Officer for Bristol City Council following discussions at Friends of Troopers Hill meetings and Work Parties.
The plan followed the advice on habitat management set out in the 1999 plan the photo survey reports produced by Rupert Higgins, who also gave further advice as the plan was developed.
Sally continued to support Friends of Troopers Hill through the Nature in the City Project from September 2006 to September 2008.
2004 Management Plan
April 2005 Update
April 2006 Update
Original Works Schedule January 2004
Original Works Schedule with actual dates to 2020
The Plan was officially launched at a signing ceremony on the hill on Wed 9th June 2004. It was signed by Peter Wilkinson, Head of Bristol Parks and Susan Acton-Campbell, Chair of Friends of Troopers Hill
Click Here to View Photographs of the Signing Ceremony >>
Works and Projects 1999 to 2003
Some repair works were carried out to the chimney in 1999 with scaffold errected to its full height. A scaffold platform that had been put in place at the top of the chimney during earlier works was removed at this time. A report in the local paper also refers to some path repairs and a 'poop scoop' bin being installed, this was probably on Troopers Hill Field (then called Malvern Road Open Space). Park Rangers also organised a project for young people with learning difficulties to construct a path to give access from 'Field View Centre' ( now East Bristol Intermediate Care Centre).
Following the recommendations in the 1999 plan, the first of the invertebrate surveys of the Hill was carried out by David Gibbs in 2000, prior to this the importance of the site for invertebrates had not been fully appreciated.
The start of the 'Wildspace!' project in 2002 run by Sally Oldfield was the next significant event and led directly to the formation of Friends of Troopers Hill in December 2003. Sally was employed by Bristol City Council from 2002 as a 'Local Nature Reserves Officer' with funding from English Nature and the Big Lottery Fund.
A visitor survey was carried out in 2002/3, followed by a series of meeting and events aimed at informing local people about the site and discussing the formation of a group to help in the site's management.
Events included a Nature Walk with Rupert Higgins on Tue 22 July 2003 and a Litter Pick on Sat 04 Oct 2003. Sally also organised some activities with local young people, including clearing an overgrown path of brambele and scrub.
Friends of Troopers Hill's regular Work Parties on the first Saturday of each month then started from December 2003 when the group was formally constituted.
During this period Friends of Troopers Hill started to run the regular 
