Sweet Briar FAQs

Nearby: 

Norfolk Wildlife Trust has purchased a small redundant yard at the end of Burnett Road. It will contain a small car park for people with accessibility needs and a Changing Places and accessible toilet. There will also be space for coach or minibus parking for school or group visits and a small base for our conservation work and volunteers. Improvements to the existing foot and cycle path and a new accessible entrance to the marshes will make it easier for visitors with limited mobility to explore the site. This work will take place over winter 2025 and will be finished by March 2026. 

Onsite: 

The latest investment will support several improvements, including lookout viewing platforms, wildlife observation screens, and communal seating areas that invite visitors to spend more time in nature. New information panels—many enhanced with audio description designed for blind or visually impaired people — will highlight the reserve’s unique biodiversity and history. The work will start in the winter of 2026 with a break in the spring and summer so that we don’t disturb breeding birds and other wildlife, and finish by March 2027. 

This phase of work at Sweet Briar Marshes has been made possible by our project partners, Aviva, the Greater Norwich Growth Board and the Geoffrey Watling Charity. 

We want Sweet Briar Marshes to be a place where wildlife thrives, and people of all backgrounds can experience nature on their doorstep and be inspired to care for it. 

The facilities we are proposing were highlighted during our discussions with local communities as the things that would help local people to access SBM, enjoy nature and volunteer. The next stage of our work will focus on achieving the following outcomes: 

• improved inclusion and accessibility
• more school and group visits and learning
• more effective management of habitats and improved biodiversity
• more facilities to help visitors experience nature 

The infrastructure works have been designed to naturally work with the needs of the landscape and wildlife as much as possible. To minimise disruption, ecological surveys have been carried out to understand what is needed to compensate for any loss in habitat, and the works will be carried out at suitable times of year. The works will diversify areas of grassland to contain more wildflowers, restore ditches to open water habitat, create bare ground to benefit early successional flora and invertebrates, plant trees, and provide a green roof on the new workshop. The result will be a gain for nature of over 10% compared with current arrangements. 

No, the new car parking spaces and toilets are for people with accessibility needs. For those who are able, we encourage walking or cycling to the reserve via the well-established paths and routes. Alternatively, nearby public car parks are available. The nearest public toilets are situated at Sloughbottom Park.  

See our reserve page for details

Yes, although there may be some areas out of bounds while visitor infrastructure is being constructed on the reserve itself. Signs will clearly let visitors know what is going on and any areas that are currently off limits. 

You can keep up to date with progress as well as find out more about the wonderful wildlife and events taking place at Sweet Briar Marshes by requesting to sign up to our bi-monthly e-newsletter: markh@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk

During 2023, our engagement team met members of the local community to gather ideas and feedback and gave talks in schools and community centres. They also ran free events, from guided walks to practical conservation tasks so people could get to know Sweet Briar Marshes prior to it being open to the public. Over one thousand people got involved in the community engagement process – their views helped shape our shared vision for the reserve, and we continue to value their views and feedback. We’ll continue to work with local communities on the detail of the design of these additional facilities. 

Aviva are long-term supporters of NWT and provide financial contributions in several ways for purely charitable reasons. Aviva's stated goals for biodiversity and mitigating impacts of climate transition - the "Aviva Sustainability Ambition" has led them to support financially as project partners at NWT Sweet Briar Marshes. Norwich has been Aviva's historic home for over 200 years, and some 5,500 Aviva staff live and work here. Having helped NWT acquire the site in 2022, and the early phases of 'Discovery' and 'Restore', in May 2025 Aviva announced a new tranche of funding. This will support on and off-site infrastructure, Conservation and Engagement NWT staff roles, and habitat management and monitoring through to December 2027. NWT is very grateful for Aviva’s generous support, given in return for no title, ownership or influence over the management of the site.