The new land, previously Manor Farm, is found less than 5km away from our Foxley Wood nature reserve in mid-north Norfolk. 

Our vision is to restore and create a resilient, ecologically rich landscape forming a mosaic of diverse habitats that will benefit wildlife and people for generations to come. 

Found close to our Foxley Wood nature reserve, we will be adding to an important ‘arc’ of ancient woodland in mid-north Norfolk. It will offer a vital stepping stone, helping animals and plants move through the landscape as they adapt to our rapidly changing world. 

We have purchased 136 hectares (336 acres) of land, which is larger than our Foxley Wood nature reserve and makes this one of the most significant habitat creation projects in NWT’s 100-year history. 

We are transforming 136 hectares (336 acres) of mostly arable farmland into a brand-new wildlife haven.  

The land currently includes 13 hectares of uncultivated grassland along with some ponds, hedges and half a hectare of long-established woodland that is approximately 200 years old. 

We will restore and renaturalise a mosaic of habitats across the site. By connecting any remaining wildlife habitats with new ponds, grasslands, hedges, trees and wetlands, we’ll create a bigger, better home for nature. 

By planting appropriate native trees and encouraging natural regeneration, we’ll create the woodlands of the future, that will offer food and shelter to a wide range of creatures.  

We’ll restore ponds on the site, offering a new home to amphibians, plants, and insects. By planting new meadows and grasslands, the site will support swathes of vibrant wildflowers and come alive with the buzz of pollinating insects. We’ll also bring the Norton Beck, a tributary of the River Wensum, back to life. Right now, it is straight and unnatural, but we’ll restore its natural meandering course, letting it bend and flow the way it used to and allowing it to once again act as a life-giving artery running through the site. The newly restored waterway will act as the lifeblood of our new wildlife habitats and support a diversity of aquatic and wetland species such as fish, insects and wading birds. 

By restoring this vast new home for wildlife, we’ll also be creating a place that will provide many benefits to local communities and our environment as a whole.  

In time, local people will have access to a brand-new wild place, offering all the benefits that time in nature brings. 

The new trees will help cool the nearby landscape, supporting wildlife to cope with increasing temperatures we are experiencing as a result of climate change. The newly meandering river will help reduce downstream flooding, and much of the site will act as a big sponge locking up carbon from the atmosphere and helping in the fight against climate change.  

The new wildlife habitats we create will also help reduce soil erosion, helping to keep nearby rivers clear and oxygen-rich, not just on the site, but right along their course as they wind through our landscape. 

Yes. As well as creating a new home for wildlife, our vision for the site includes providing people with new ways to access and enjoy Norfolk’s nature. 

We are currently assessing the ways we can provide public access to the site whilst carefully balancing the needs of people and wildlife. We will share more on this in the coming months. 

We will share our plans as they develop with local communities during consultation events. 

We are currently carefully assessing the possibility of providing access to dogs on the site. This will need to be carefully balanced with caring for the site’s wildlife. 

The land and associated buildings cost £4.6million.  

NWT received £3.8million through a Natural England Nutrient Mitigation scheme payment in return for delivering significant environmental benefits on the land over a 125-year period. These include reducing the amount of nutrient pollution released from the land into the Wensum and Broads River catchments, by stopping the use of agricultural fertilisers, and the creation of a new 336-acre nature reserve. 

We plan to sell a farmhouse and associated barns found on the land, which will raise funds to cover the cost of the land, and help us start to restore it for wildlife. 

We are very grateful to have received financial support from two generous donors and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation who through short term loans have enabled us to purchase the land in advance of receiving the payment from Natural England.  

In short: Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation scheme channels developers’ money into creating healthier river habitats for wildlife, new green spaces for people, and unlocks housing development that might otherwise have been stalled. It’s a win–win for conservation and sustainable development. 

In detail: In freshwater habitats, nutrient pollution caused by high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in rivers and wetlands—a problem called “eutrophication”—can speed up the growth of certain plants and damage the delicate ecosystems that wildlife depends on. Many of England’s most important rivers and their surrounding catchments are already considered to be in ‘unfavourable’ condition because of this. To prevent further decline in our freshwater habitats, it’s vital that we don’t increase the amount of damaging nutrients we are adding to them. The main sources of the high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in our freshwater habitats are agricultural fertilisers and wastewater coming from housing.  

In 2022, Natural England announced that local planning authorities had to ensure that new development did not cause adverse impacts to protected habitats such as the Wensum and Broads Special Areas of Conservation prior to granting planning permission. To gain planning consent, developers were required to demonstrate that their proposal did not add to the nutrient burden in the catchment, through offsetting solutions including the purchase of ‘nutrient credits’ generated through local nutrient mitigation schemes. A national fund of over £30 million, backed by government, helps supply these credits to enable developers to create the housing our communities need. 

Landowners can sell ‘nutrient credits’ to Natural England where they can evidence that they will reduce the nutrient burden on their land. This could be simply by reducing or removing any source of nutrients being released into the land (e.g from fertilisers) or through activities that include changes in land use, upgrades of septic tanks to more efficient modern versions, and nature-based solutions including constructed wetland. 

The scheme is delivered locally by Norfolk Environmental Credits (NEC) with funding provided by Norfolk Nutrient Mitigation Fund (NMF). Together, the scheme helps to enable long‑term nature recovery while unlocking sustainable housing development across the county. It is part of a sustainable, locally controlled funding loop that continually reinvests in Norfolk’s natural environment. 

In accordance with the requirements of the scheme, NWT will reduce the amount of nutrient pollution released from the land by stopping the use of agricultural fertilisers alongside creating a 336-acre nature reserve. This reduction in nutrients released into the landscape will enable up to 1,000 new houses to be built in the area without adversely impacting the protected areas of the Wensum and Broads.