Key milestones have been reached in the development of a visitor centre at a north Essex nature spot.

Construction on the Essex Wildlife Trust Naze Centre, at Walton, has now been completed and work is ongoing to prepare the building for opening – planned in late Spring or early Summer this year.

The trust has also begun recruitment for staff to run the centre.

At present there are vacancies for up to two education rangers to both develop and deliver education at the centre.

Essex Wildlife Trust will also soon be advertising for two staff to manage the centre, while the organisation is also looking to build its team of volunteers to help at the project.

The Naze is a textbook case study covering aspects ranging from wildlife, fossils, geology, coastal processes and coastal communities.

Aimed at being a focal point for visitors before the explore the Naze, the centre also hopes to maximise the environmental and heritage assets at the site.

It will also provide educational facilities for school groups and other youth organisations.

An important part of the state-of-the-art £1.14million centre is its “green roof”, consisting of a plant blanket of Stonecrop covering the whole building with other flowering plants inserted into it.

The plants mean the roof will change colour with the seasons, blending in with its surroundings – a significant factor for those looking at the building from the Naze and from the top of the nearby Naze Tower. The roof, which has a fully watertight membrane beneath it, will also be an important habitat for insects and birds.

Kieren Alexander, Essex Wildlife Trust’s environmental projects manager, said: “The trust is delighted to have the keys to the Naze Centre and is really excited about getting it ready for opening later in the year.

“We are starting to put our team for the Naze together, too, so the project is really coming to fruition.”

Essex Wildlife Trust is part of The Naze Management Board, which aims to improve the management of the Naze open space for the benefit of its heritage, education, wildlife and geological interest and to improve facilities for the visiting public.

For details of the ranger roles, for which applications close on Monday January 18, visit www.essexwt.org.uk/jobs/education-ranger-walton-naze.