INVESTMENT in Chasewater will help protect vulnerable plants and wildlife, council chiefs have said.
Staffordshire County Council is planning an £18million upgrade to its country parks.
It said improving open spaces would help encourage visitors to other sites in order to protect rare plants and species on Cannock Chase.
Cllr Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for communities and culture, said:
“Cannock Chase lies within a designated National Landscape which, in terms of visitor numbers for its size, is around five times busier than the Lake District.
“The Chase will always be open to all, so the challenge is how do we manage increasing numbers of people using our beautiful open spaces without damaging them, or even changing them irreversibly?
“How do we reconcile heavier use by walkers, horse riders, mountain bikers and dog walkers with the practicalities of preserving the flora and fauna that make these places so special?
“One way we can do this is by guiding people towards the more robust parts of the Chase instead or by encouraging some to explore Chasewater as well.”
The proposals will see upgrades to the Innovation Centre and south shore area of Chasewater Country Park in a bid to attract more local visitors as well as those from further afield.
Cllr Wilson added:
“One of the joys of longstanding open access is that people can go where they will, but a key issue is that some people are unaware of the consequences of their presence.
“Simply leaving a track to tramp across heathland, mountain biking in unauthorised places, or large quantities of dog urine or faeces in a particular place can damage plants or disrupt wildlife.
“Influencing footfall to protect for the future the very things that make Cannock Chase so attractive now will be an integral part of our thinking as we develop these new facilities for people to enjoy.”