Page 13 - Annual Review 2022

The Land Trust Annual Review 2022

Our New Sites

Branston Locks, Staffordshire 2021/22 also saw a total of 115 hectares of ‘Suitable Alternative Natural
Greenspace’ (SANG) transfer to the Trust, across Berkshire, Devon and Surrey.

SANGs are designed to offer public recreational green space, close to residential
developments, attracting people away from natural sites designated Special
Protection Areas or Special Areas of Conservation, which need to be preserved for
their valuable ecology and are sensitive to public activities like dog walking.
SANGs are Site County Size
designed to offer Dawlish Countryside Park Devon 26.4 hectares Ash Green Meadows, Surrey In addition to this, the Land Trust’s existing site, Ash Green Meadows in Surrey,
was extended by two hectares to include an area of Ancient and Semi-Natural
public Ridgetop Park Devon 21.5 hectares We have Woodland. This improves the experience for visitors enabling both woodland and
recreational modelled the meadow walks across the overall site.

green space, Buckler’s Forest Berkshire 42.5 hectares predicted Economic and Social Value
close to Horsley Meadows Surrey 24.7 hectares combined Using our Social and Economic Model, which provides evidence-based,
residential These new public sites were all created on previously inaccessible land benefits that measurable indicators of the benefits of well-managed green space for
developments transformed into recreational sites with enhanced biodiversity, giving local these sites will communities, we have modelled the predicted combined benefits that these sites
residents the ability to access and engage with nature, and undertake recreational will deliver in five years, based upon actual KPIs delivered on comparable Land
activities including walking and quiet recreation. deliver in five Trust sites.
years, based
To determine the value of the biodiversity on these sites, following a desk based Based on our professional, community focussed, budget conscious management
assessment, Land Trust used the Biodiversity Metric 3.1 to estimate the upon actual KPIs proposals, we estimate that in five years’ time, our management of these sites
biodiversity baseline of these sites. Through the Land Trust’s management, the delivered on would help to deliver the following combined benefits per annum:
habitats and biodiversity will be maintained and enhanced in perpetuity.
comparable  £200,000 cost saving per year to the NHS from our interventions
Land Trust sites.
Site Total Biodiversity Units Total River Units  £400,000 per year tourism benefits to the local economies
(Habitats)
Dawlish Countryside Park 63.73 0  Overall creates almost £1m gross value added for the local economies
Ridgetop Park 71.10 2.76
 Save the public purse £380,000 per year
Buckler’s Forest 235.06 0
 Overall economic value created of £4m
Horsley Meadows 49.56 1.7

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