Aubrey Farm near Milford to be turned into a nature reserve

MORE than 600 acres of farmland at Keyhaven is to be turned into a nature reserve which developers can use to help meet their environmental obligations.

The 605-acre Aubrey Farm, owned by Kingwell, will connect to neighbouring environmentally sensitive areas to create a 1,000-acre reserve west of the Pennington Marshes.

The project, Keyhaven Natural Capital Scheme, will be delivered in partnership with New Forest District Council (NFDC), the national park authority and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT).

The farm is the subject of two Section 106 legal agreements between Kingwell and NFDC and the NPA, as the area’s two local planning authorities, in delivering the New Forest’s first biodiversity net gain (BNG) and nitrate mitigation scheme.

Working in partnership with HIWWT, the farmland will be converted to natural habitat in phases. Nitrate mitigation credits and BNG units can be bought by developers to enable building projects to take place elsewhere in the district.

Developers must ensure wildlife is left in a better state than before any development takes place, which requires a 10% improvement or ‘biodiversity net gain’.

This can be at the applicant’s development site, or BNG units can be bought offsite from schemes like the one at Keyhaven, if onsite mitigation is not be feasible.

To be managed by the trust, the scheme aims to deliver a “genuine uplift in biodiversity” and mitigate water quality impacts from development sites within the New Forest, says Kingwell. The scheme will also create “extensive areas” of coastal grassland that will “support birdlife and a rapidly declining insect populations”.

Alistair Emery, founder of Kingwell, said: “This is an ambitious project requiring the collaboration of very different organisations within the private sector, local government and NGOs. It has taken considerable time to pull together in order to meet the interests of the various parties involved, whilst also ensuring we can respond to the market.

“This has resulted in a unique phased approach to habitat creation delivered on a strategic scale to meet both the local needs for development and improved connectivity for biodiversity.”

John Durnell, from HIWWT, who has been involved in the planning process, added: “This scheme shows how a commercial landowner can be incentivised to roll out a nature-based natural capital solution at scale.

“This is crucial because if we can make this model work, it could bring huge benefits for nature recovery across the country, as it would demonstrate that there are models available for the private sector to collaborate with environmental NGOs to really make a tangible difference in protecting wildlife and helping to restore nature.”

NPA chair David Bence said: “This is a strategically important site – located between the New Forest and Solent – and presents a great opportunity for nature recovery at scale.

“We have engaged constructively with the landowner, the Wildlife Trust and New Forest District Council to bring forward these positive proposals. The environmental enhancements at Keyhaven will support the wider management of this important area of the New Forest for nature recovery.”