Iford Biodiversity Project News
Find the latest news and updates from the Iford Biodiversity Project in the heart of Sussex. Learn when our different phases of habitat creation take place, and find out about our open days and any new developments with our BNG offerings. If you need more information or are interested in our BNG units for sale, don’t hesitate to contact us and follow us on social media for regular updates.
July 2024
Wildlife Walks - Coming Soon!
Iford Estate are pleased to launch our Wildlife Walks this summer. With expert ecologist Rachel Bicker to guide you we will take you on a behind the scenes walk, explaining some of the flora and fauna you see, the management behind it and the plans for widespread nature restoration on the outskirts of Lewes.
Depending on the weather we hope to be able to show you a variety of birds, insects and plants on a guided walk lasting about 2 hours, with a stop for refreshment half way round.
You will need to be reasonably fit to fully enjoy the experience, and capable of walking about 3 miles. Children are welcome, but they will need to be over 12 to fully appreciate the experience.
Houndean Farm is the focal point for Iford Estate’s nature restoration vision with a stunning wildflower meadow created in 2023 and further plans for woodland and scrub creation. We are already seeing wildlife returning to this previously farmed landscape, and our Wildlife Walks will enable you to identify species and enjoy the stunning scenery.
July 2023
106 Agreement
Completed on July 18, the legal agreement means 31ha of land at Iford Estate – equating to 210 biodiversity units – is the first to appear on the SDNPA’s register of land formally ‘dedicated’ for BNG provision.
The BNG Section 106 is the result of a huge effort by a range of experts, including the team at Iford, the SDNPA, the environment and farming consultants CLM, Lux Nova Partners (a law firm specialising in the clean energy and environmental sectors) and Town Legal (a specialist law firm).
June 2023
Open Day
We were very pleased to welcome 150 people to our recent open day, showcasing our plans for Biodiversity Improvement at Iford. Guests enjoyed a presentation of our journey towards Landscape scale followed by a tour of the farm by tractor and trailer. Ben Taylor (Iford Estate) and Anthony Weston of consultants CLM outlined the plans followed by a great line up of guest speakers including Mark Alden and Nick Heasman from South Downs National Park, outlining the nature of the collaboration between Iford and SDNP and their ambitions for nature recover with their ReNature programme.
Steph Matthews, Principal Advisor for Biodiversity Net Gain at Natural England gave a presentation about the National Credits Scheme and Glenn Anderson from Wendling Beck gave an overview of his Nature Recovery Scheme and the launch of National Nature Networks, a collaboration of 5 landscape scale recovery projects around the country, including Iford Estate.
MAY 2023
Initial
Habitat Bank
We are very pleased to announce that following a long, cold and wet Spring we have been busy sowing the first phase of our Biodiversity Project this week. The initial area, formerly arable land, has been sown with a flower rich grass mixture with many native species of grass and flowers including Black Knapweed, Selfheal, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Black Meddick, Yellow Rattle, Red and White Campion, Lady’s Bedstraw and Sorrel. In the autumn selected areas will be planted with scrub and trees to complete the habitat restoration vision.
