Bucklebury Estates Common Vision

The programme is being coordinated by Alex Cruickshank of Sundew Ecology.

The Bucklebury Estate have shared their vision for Bucklebury Common. The vision is available to view at: www.SundewEcology.co.uk/bucklebury-common

Please visit www.sundewecology.co.uk/bucklebury-common for regular updates about what is happening on the common.

This was presented to the Parish at a public meeting in the Oak Room of the Memorial Hall, Upper Bucklebury, at 18:30 on the 16th November 2022 and online on the 17th November 2022 due to room capacity limitations.

Questions have been raised over signage advising that dogs are required to be on leads during the nesting season - this is in accordance with the CROW Act 2000. (The Countryside and Rights of Way Act): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-countryside-code/the-countryside-code-advice-for-countryside-visitors

November 2023 the following was posted " More heathland management work underway - You may have seen a small excavator on the open heath near Fanny's Lane. It is working to pull up selected gorse and birch plants to ensure that the heath remains open, and to stop it becoming overgrown. We have sucessfully trialled this technique last year on the main areas of heathland towards the Lower Common. It gets rid of the gorse and birch without the need for herbicides and is very selective, leaving excellent habitat for all the wildlife, including the rare Dartford Warbler. This work is funded by the Farming in Protected Landscape scheme from the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. If you see the excavator working, please give it a wide berth to ensure your safety."

August 2024 The Bucklebury Estate, with funding support from Countryside Stewardship and the Species Survival Fund, are undertaking an ambitious programme of habitat restoration work on the common this winter(24/25). This will go some way to achieving the vision in the management plan, for more diverse wood pasture and an increase in the area of heathland - the largest in the North Wessex Downs. This will help ensure the future of lots of rare wildlife.Please see the timetable for a detailed programme of the work. And please be aware that there will be large machinery working on the common. Please give them a wide berth and follow instructions on signs and from the contractors.

The Bucklebury Estate has planning permission to widen the car parks on Broad Lane to make them more accessible and less prone to abuse.

In order to complete the project, an application to the Secretary of State for 'section 38 approval' is required.

A copy of the application form is included below.

Bucklebury Common Restoration Works Autumn and Winter 2024/2025 Briefing. Find out more about the exciting regeneration project from the Bucklebury Estate team, and meet the first Bucklebury Common Ranger. Saturday 5 October 2024 10:00 to 12:00 Meet at Bucklebury Memorial Hall, Upper Bucklebury, before crossing to view a site of recent restoration work. Leaflet below in the pictures.

Wood pasture demonstration area at Byles Green shown in pictures. An area of wood pasture has been created at Byles Green, desmonstrating the type of habitat that the Bucklebury Estate will be restoring on parts of the Common. This is an open habitat with widely-spaced trees that will grown with a more spreading form and will, over time, be home to lots of wildlife. We will also be pollarding some of the trees, so that they live even longer and become the veteran trees of the future.

You can find out more about wood pasture here: https://ptes.org/wppn/

Community meet up - Thank you to everyone who came along to have a look at the cleared area of wood pasture on the common and meet the management team. It was great to see so many people. Thank you for your insightful questions.

October 2024 - The first gully, east of Fannys Lane, is now complete, with all the timber and brash removed.

The contractors have done a great job of minimising rutting in the wet conditions we have had lately.

They will now be moving westwards to complete the other gullies.

This area will be covered in new vegetation next spring and will soon be alive with wildlife.

Thank you for your patience while the work is ongoing.

Recent updates:

https://www.sundewecology.co.uk/post/first-gulley-complete

https://www.sundewecology.co.uk/post/community-meet-up

https://www.sundewecology.co.uk/post/wood-pasture-demonstration-area-at-byles-green?postId=3ebe3af4-bfd4-4061-8fb5-9c6902dbaa55&utm_campaign=8d6918b9-3420-4d0f-8b11-9f55bb9bfb72&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&utm_content=b5a92723-04c8-4d6c-9df9-e2893b64ae19&cid=3848dda3-86b2-4580-a136-116e65a69d77

https://www.sundewecology.co.uk/post/improvements-to-car-parks-on-broad-lane

https://www.sundewecology.co.uk/post/working-this-winter-on-bucklebury-common?postId=9e966e96-2b64-4574-aa63-56cd22b5e487&utm_campaign=2f29b8e4-f154-4bc7-906c-47e8104e06ff&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&utm_content=bc46d793-4955-486f-bd28-75e75925a75e&cid=3848dda3-86b2-4580-a136-116e65a69d77

https://www.sundewecology.co.uk/post/a-new-ranger-post-job-advert?postId=47380e05-77f2-4859-bf1a-d3da1d1aae4f&utm_campaign=36eb5de4-b2a9-4ffe-a75b-25e04e6f9d70&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&utm_content=03fb261c-df0b-4343-9b4e-0dc4090309cc&cid=3848dda3-86b2-4580-a136-116e65a69d77