Lost orchard and native wildlife to be reintroduced

A major nature restoration project will see the return of lost wildlife and an orchard to Great Gaddesden, just outside Hemel Hempstead.

The 30-year project will restore British lowland broadleaved woodland and scrub in the area, enhancing existing grassland with specialist wildflower and herb seed mixes.

Species expected to benefit include native British species like brown hares, hedgehogs, great crested newts, common toads and the Small Heath butterfly, a species in decline across the UK.

Naturum, a leading provider of biodiversity net gain (BNG) solutions, has confirmed it will also include the reinstatement of a traditional orchard that once stood on the land but was lost over a century ago.

The 70-acre site at Pipers Hill in Great Gaddesden sits within Dacorum Borough and the Chilterns National Character Area, just three miles from Hemel Hempstead.

The area sits within a ‘wildlife corridor’ adjoining Highpark Wood, a local nature reserve recognised as ancient woodland, and the Great Gaddesden Water Meadows, home to the River Gade, a rare and locally important chalk stream, as well as resident otters and water voles.

The farming family who previously worked the land for almost 80 years will stay on as long-term land managers, bringing decades of first-hand knowledge of the land to its restoration.

The improvements have been recognised within the Hertfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), which identifies the area as a priority location for woodland, scrub and grassland recovery.

Taking the land out of intensive arable use is also expected to ease pressure on the River Gade which, like chalk streams nationally, has been put under stress by modern farming practices.

Local schools will also be offered guided visits led by Naturum’s ecology team once habitat works are under way, with the project set to give locals a lasting connection to nature recovery on their doorstep.

Works are due to begin later this year following the site’s registration with Natural England in February.

Giles Perry, co-founder of biodiversity net gain provider Naturum, said: ‘This land has been farmed by the same family for the best part of 80 years, and it means a great deal to us to be working alongside them as we start to bring nature back to it.

‘Species like brown hares, hedgehogs and great crested newts are all found nearby, but decades of arable farming have made it harder for them to continue making their habitats here. Giving them the space to come back is really what this project is about.

‘We want this project to be something local residents can be proud of. Somewhere they can walk with their children, watch the wildlife return over the coming years, and know that this corner of the Chilterns is being looked after for the long term.’