PLANS to convert the giant burial pit at Ash Moor near Petrockstow into a nature reserve have taken a big step forward, following a top-level meeting in London.

The meeting was called by West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett, who slammed the £10-million pit, built by Defra during the height of the foot and mouth crisis three years ago and never used, as ?a giant scar?.

But this week the MP told the Times he was ?extremely optimistic? that the pit, built on rare culm grassland, could ultimately be protected as a nature reserve in the future.

Mr Burnett said: ?I had a meeting with Defra and Devon County Council last week. I have impressed on Defra that what was done was a scar on the landscape and was also emotionally scarring for thousands of people.?

Mr Burnett said work to reinstate the pit should be completed by June. There was then likely to be a four or five year period of waiting to prove the restoration had been successful.

?I would like the minister to announce as soon as possible that he is prepared, at the end of that period, to grant a long lease at a peppercorn rent to Devon Wildlife Trust to manage the site as a wildlife and ecology area, which would be accessed via the Tarka Trail,? said Mr Burnett, who hoped the trust would be able to access funds to purchase the site by the end of the leasehold period.

Mr Burnett said Defra had prepared a land management plan for Ash Moor which would be open to consultation with the county, borough and parish councils.

?I have had a number of private discussions with Ben Bradshaw and I want to put on record my gratitude for the constructive manner in which he has dealt with this matter ? I am extremely optimistic a solution will be achieved here,? said the MP.

Joe Skinner of the anti-pit campaign group STAMP said: ?If this could be arranged it would be the ideal solution, it?s just a question of getting it organised.

?We?ve had a long hard struggle over this. John Burnett has been very helpful all the way through this and if he is able to pull something off like this, it would be brilliant, we would be ecstatically happy.?

A spokesman for Defra said: ?I can confirm the meeting took place last week with Defra?s estates services division to talk about the long term future of the Ash Moor site.

?These talks were constructive and there was an agreement that further talks should take place in the near future to continue explorations into the future of the site.?

The spokesman said it was ?too early to say? what the next steps would be regarding Ash Moor.

Paul Gompertz, director of Devon Wildlife Trust, said it was ?very early days? as far as the long term future of Ash Moor and the trust was concerned. There were many issues to be investigated, not least of which was the financial burden of maintaining the site, but the trust was certainly open to discussions on Ash Moor.

?There are so many things up in the air, but we are certainly watching this space,? said Mr Gompertz.

A spokesman for Devon County Council confirmed that it expected to receive Defra?s management plan for Ash Moor shortly, which will be put out to public consultation.

The spokesman said: ?Acorus is contracted to manage the site for the next five years. An agreement has been prepared for the grazing rights to be with a local farmer who has relevant experience of the management of species rich grassland.

?In respect of the transfer of the land to Devon Wildlife Trust, it was not within the powers of Defra to gift the land. Officers are currently investigating other options for future management and will be seeking ministerial approval as soon as one seems practicable.?