Wetland News – Spring 2024
Hot off the press, the latest newsletter about the wetland the Town and Manor is planning for Hungerford. The planning application has been submitted, the West Berkshire Planning portal is working again after a short closure, so please take a look and submit a comment to support this wonderful project that aims to increase the biodiversity of the area, mitigate flooding, help reduce climate change and provide a fantastic educational resource in Hungerford.
For the benefit of people, nature and the planet.
Kennet Valley Wetland Reserve will be an area of 16 hectares (40 acres) of restored and redeveloped ancient water meadow, situated next to the River Kennet, a renowned chalk stream, and a short stroll from the historic market town of Hungerford.
Purchased, protected and cared for by the charity the Town & Manor of Hungerford, this ambitious wetland regeneration project will be for the immediate benefit of the local area and visitors, with a lasting legacy benefitting the health and wellbeing of locals, visitors and the wider environment for generations to come.
The Planning Application
It has taken some time and a lot of work, with nearly 30 surveys, reports and plans being sourced including: a detailed landscape design, a topographical survey, a tree survey, an archaeological report, an ecological assessment, a flood risk assessment, a flooding sequential test, a planning report, a transport report, a utilities survey and report, a design study for the new access road, bridge and car park, as well as plans, designs and visualisations for the Education and Information Centre – but we are pleased to announce that we have submitted our planning application for the reserve to West Berkshire Council.
Fundraising
We are very grateful for all the support we received via The Good Exchange. The money raised enabled us to fund all the surveys required for the planning application. We are now busy researching further fundraising opportunities to enable us to bring this amazing project to Hungerford.
Once we have received planning consent, we will be focussing on raising the funds from trusts, foundations, events and donations. If you can help with our fund-raising appeal in any way do, please get in touch using the form below
Our Goal
Create a wetland area rich in biodiversity that will help to restore both plant and wildlife, improve the health and wellbeing of visitors and the local community, inform and educate, and contribute to the improved health of the planet.
Why wetlands are important
Photography by Darren Prestoe
Emergency Recovery Plan
In 2020, a global team of scientists, including those from the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust and the World Wide Fund for Nature, developed an Emergency Recovery Plan for freshwater biodiversity.
The aim of the plan is to protect and restore freshwater habitats, tackling the threats that have led to an 84% collapse in freshwater biodiversity and the degradation of 90% of the world’s wetlands. It also provides clear plans for what can be done to help with the recovery plan.
How the Kennet Valley
Wetland Reserve will help
The restoration of wetland and development of the Kennet Valley Wetland Reserve will bring significant benefits to people, the immediate area and further afield.
Photography by Darren Prestoe
Creation of wetland
The improved wetland habitats, biodiversity and local nature recovery, and the associated carbon capture and retention, have far-reaching benefits for the environment, while the provision of the reserve, as a public amenity space, will offer physical health and mental wellbeing benefits to all its visitors.
Currently, the land has been derelict since the 1970s, being of poor agricultural quality, and is now heavily overgrown with limited structural or botanical diversity. Detailed and very favourable surveys indicate it has great potential for regeneration as a wetland nature reserve, which will become of regional importance.
Vital flood relief
A key part of the project will be the reconnection of the River Kennet to ancient flood plains, lost over the passage of time.
Allowing the River Kennet to overflow into the wetlands will help to alleviate the risk of flooding further downstream, a significant benefit for towns such as Newbury and Thatcham and those beyond.
An Education & Information Centre
The Education and Information Centre will share information on wetland and river ecology, conservation and climate change. Sitting on stilts above the flood level, the proposed building will be constructed using eco-friendly, sustainably sourced and low-carbon materials.
The design includes external platforms giving views across the reserve and ground-level access for visitors to enjoy pond-dipping and the sights, sounds and smells of nature close up.
Accessible for all
Both physical and visual access to the wetland will be key. There will be two types of footpaths: an informal circular path and a step-free, access-for-all path that includes boardwalks. Road and pedestrian access will be created that connects the site to Charnham Park road.
The Reserve will be open to all during daylight hours throughout the year and entry will be free.
Photography by Darren Prestoe
Timeline
We anticipate that it will take approximately two years to complete the reserve, once planning permission has been granted. Following a favourable initial response from West Berkshire Council to a pre-planning application in July 2022, we have spent most of 2023 preparing for the planning application submission. The planning application was finally summited in April 2024 and we are hoping to be able to start work on the development of the wetland site in late 2024
Historic landowner
The Town and Manor of Hungerford isn’t new to the role of landowner and guardian. Here’s a quick potted history:
Late 1300s
John O’Gaunt (son of Edward III and father of the future king, Henry IV) grants the residents of Hungerford certain rights and privileges that include fishing the rivers Kennet and Dun.
1612
A charter from James I passes the title of the Manor of Hungerford to ‘the townsmen of Hungerford’.
1617
the Manor of Hungerford is conveyed again, this time to be held ‘in trust for the inhabitants’. A Constable and 13 local men, the first Trustees, take on the responsibility of managing and maintaining the Town and Manor.
1908
The Town and Manor of Hungerford formally becomes a registered charity.
2018
16 hectares of historic wetland meadow, on the north-western edge of Hungerford immediately adjacent to the River Kennet, are purchased.
Today
The Trustees of the Town and Manor of Hungerford are responsible for the governance and management of 170 hectares (420 acres), which includes the rivers Kennet and Dun, commons and marshes, 44% of which is designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).
Find out more about our experienced board of Trustees on our About Us page
We’re looking forward to making the Kennet Valley Wetland Reserve a reality, and to restoring a wealth of natural diversity to this small part of the country, for the benefit of all.
contact us
If you’d like to receive updates on the progress of the project, please contact us below.
