Essex BNG at James Farm

The site sits at Far Thorpe Green, near Weeley in Tendring, Essex: fallow arable land, two fields of improved grassland, a small wet woodland copse, and Holland Brook running along the southern boundary. Years of intensive arable management have left the site's hedgerow network in poor structural condition.

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Restoration here follows a nature-led approach rather than planting to a fixed design. We're using low-density cattle grazing to shape a mosaic of grassland, and letting scrub spread freely from the site's hedgerows and woodland edges. We're also planting five hectares of new woodland in naturalistic clusters, inside an area the Essex Local Nature Recovery Strategy flags as a priority for woodland creation.

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The site's existing wet woodland and hedgerow network will be brought into active management, and we'll add a new grassland buffer along Holland Brook to reduce runoff from the arable land around it.

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Records already show otter, badger and five species of bat in the area, alongside slow-worm, grass snake, skylark, cuckoo and kingfisher. The site sits inside a dense network of Local Wildlife Sites: Far Thorpe Green and Upper Holland Brook both border it directly, and Weeleyhall Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its ancient woodland, lies just over a kilometre south.

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A Conservation Covenant with Fera Science as Responsible Body secures the scheme for 30 years from 2026, self-funded by Greenshank Environmental.