Landscape Recovery Expansion From Our Clients Herefordshire Rural Hub
Exciting news from one of our clients, Herefordshire Rural Hub!
We’re thrilled to share that the Wyescapes Landscape Recovery project has received a significant boost from Defra, with the approval of a land area expansion, bringing the total project area to 5,125 hectares. This expansion strengthens the initiative’s goal of restoring the river corridors of the Wye and Lugg in Herefordshire, with project land now covering an impressive 80 kilometres of riverbank.
Since its launch in April 2024, the response from local farmers and land managers has been positive. So much so that the amount of land offered for inclusion in the project has exceeded the capacity of the current phase’s budget and timeline. As a result, an additional 2,000 hectares are now on a waiting list, ready for ecological surveying and future development once more funding becomes available.
River Wye Farmland viewed from How Caple
Kate Speke-Adams, Director, Herefordshire Rural Hub commented:
“We are excited to be able to include even more land in the development phase of Wyescapes and support more land managers to develop sustainable, future-proof business models working with nature along the floodplain. We have been overwhelmed with interest and already have a further 2000 hectares on the next waiting list which reflects the willingness and commitment of local farmers to manage our landscapes differently over the long-term. Change at this scale can bring significant benefits for our rivers, farm businesses, local communities and the county’s economy.”
Accelar has worked in partnership with the Herefordshire Rural Hub on Wyescapes to deliver the blended finance strategy for this large-scale, multi-landowner landscape recovery project.
Our role includes:
• Analysing the ecosystem services that can be generated by the land managers across the project area
• Developing the business case, financial model and blended finance plan
• Engaging corporate buyers and private investors
With strong local support and the backing of key partners, the Wyescapes project is set to bring significant environmental, economic, and community benefits to the region. Momentum continues to build in the development phase and we look forward to seeing this significant project progress into implementation.
You can read more about the news here - Landscape Recovery extended to over 5000 hectares of Herefordshire farmland - Herefordshire Rural Hub.
We are creating a range of options to meet business needs for nature-based solutions, sustainability, BNG, and CSR. Please don't hesitate to get in touch via info@accelar.co.uk to register your interest.