A property development company has announced plans to convert arable farmland in Great Gaddesden, Hertfordshire, into a nature restoration site. The 70-acre location at Pipers Hill, managed by the same farming family for approximately 80 years, will undergo a three-decade transformation project beginning later this year.
The initiative, undertaken by Naturum, aims to enhance existing grassland through specialist wildflower and herb seed mixes while reestablishing a traditional orchard that historically occupied the land but was lost over a century ago. The work is designed to support native British wildlife including brown hares, hedgehogs, great crested newts, common toads, and Small Heath butterflies, species that have struggled to maintain populations in the area due to intensive farming practices.
The site sits within a designated wildlife corridor connecting Highpark Wood, an ancient woodland area, and Great Gaddesden Water Meadows, which contains the River Gade, a chalk stream habitat supporting otters and water voles. According to the company, the restoration effort will help reduce pressure on the River Gade, which has faced environmental stress from modern agricultural methods.
The project aligns with the Hertfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which identified the area as a priority location for woodland, scrub, and grassland recovery. The farming family will remain involved as long-term land managers, and local children will have access to the site during the restoration process.
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