Council reveals plans to turn 133-acre site near Harborough into 'unique wildlife project of national significance'

That is how Harborough District Council (HDC) and local wildlife groups have described ambitious plans - revealed today (Thursday) - to restore a nature-depleted area near the town.

After many months of planning, the council has spent just under £1.8 million on 133.3 acres of land at Tin House Farm, Great Bowden, to create a "unique project of national significance" to restore nature at a landscape scale.

With the support of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, the Market Harborough Rewilding Project will work to restore a nature-depleted area, re-establishing natural processes and building a network of nature sites.

The site will be publicly accessible and could feature footpaths, car parking and maybe visitor facilities including refreshments and toilets.

Cllr Phil Knowles, leader of Harborough District Council, said: "We have been able to facilitate an amazing opportunity to restore nature on a nationally important scale in an area where this has never been achieved before.

“Not only will we see nature restored on this land, but this project will provide a catalyst for the creation of a network of sites that will link wildlife across the district and beyond. This will be a catalyst for a strategic partnership that will rewild large swathes of nature-depleted countryside, protecting it as public open space for generations to come and bringing nature back to the area. I am so pleased for our district and local communities.

“In addition, not having our own waste depot to house our own fleet and equipment has been costly for taxpayers, but due to this land being adjacent to the existing depot site we now have options for the future.”

Mat Carter, CEO of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, said: “This rewilding project is an amazing opportunity to restore wildlife and natural processes at a nationally significant scale. Only through ambitious and innovative projects like this can we reverse the decline in nature and realise the benefits that it can bring.

“The project will showcase how land can be restored to support thriving wildlife and bring benefits to the communities that live around them. We will be working with partners to create a network of sites that supports greater diversity and migration, providing increased resilience for wildlife to adapt to the challenges they face. We will work with nature to restore natural processes such as connecting rivers with their floodplains and enabling natural regeneration and succession to occur. This is an opportunity to create an amazing legacy.”

A HDC spokesperson said: "Britain is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and South Leicestershire contains some of the most heavily modified and nature-depleted areas in lowland England. The project will drive the recovery of nature on this land so that it can support an abundance of wildlife that enriches the immediate area and enables wildlife to spread out to surrounding countryside and communities.

"As well as protecting the site from long-term housing development, the project will help the council meet its carbon reduction and nature recovery ambitions and provide more opportunities for residents to improve their health and wellbeing by connecting with nature-rich greenspace.

Groups and people who are interested in getting involved in the Market Harborough Rewilding Project can email: [email protected]