County Wildlife Sites

County Wildlife Sites (CWS) are considered to be of value for wildlife in a county context. There are nearly 1300 CWS in Norfolk, most of which are privately owned and have no public access. The CWS system in Norfolk is managed by a partnership of NWT, Norfolk County Council and Natural England, with the lead role taken by NWT.

While CWS do not receive statutory protection, they are given some protection through the planning system, with NWT playing the key role in advising planning authorities, developers and others on their protection. There is no legal constraint on the management of these sites, but NWT works with many landowners across Norfolk, giving help, advice and support with management.

Around 70 visits are made to CWS each year, and advice given to landowners on appropriate management for wildlife benefit. There is an ongoing programme to survey and notify new sites where appropriate, and updates on new sites are sent annually to all local authorities and statutory bodies in Norfolk.

For a factsheet on County Wildlife Sites click here

For a map showing location of County Wildlife Sites click here. The map is updated each Spring in line with the annual update of the CWS system. For detailed site boundaries or for more detailed information on individual sites please contact Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Please note that the majority of these sites are privately owned and County Wildlife Site designation does not confer a right of public access to the site. Access to a site needs to be checked before visiting.

Norfolk Wildlife Trust has recently written a report, Impact of Development on County
Wildlife Sites and other areas of semi-natural habitat. To download a copy click here

A new report Norfolk County Wildlife Site Grassland monitoring project Report 2005 – 2008 has just been published. To download a PDF copy, click here