Projects Approved
In the first year of the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, beginning in September 2021, there were:
- 16 expressions of interest
- 4 applications were approved
- £33,769 was committed to projects, which is 100% of the first year’s fund
In the second year of the programme, £233,654 was paid in completed projects. For year 3 of the programme £263,834 is committed to projects. For year 4, £323,000 has been approved for 25 projects. For year 5, £275,064 has been paid in project grants.
Across the programme so far, 97 applications have been received and the following projects were approved in the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape, with full details outlined:
Project Case Studies
Native Black Poplar conservation in East Suffolk
£9,945 was granted to the Otter Trust to monitor and increase the population of native Black Poplar trees within the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape.
Black Poplars (Populus Nigra) is Britain’s rarest native hardwood species, they are distinctive trees with great aesthetic value. These deciduous trees are listed as a priority species under the Trees Outside Woodland Scheme.
Coppicing at Copperas Wood SSSI
£3,237 was granted to Essex Wildlife Trust to significantly increase coppicing work in Wrabness on the Stour Estuary.
By adding a further 60 mature sweet chestnut stools to their volunteer’s work programme, it will make a significant positive impact on woodland condition at Copperas Wood SSSI.
By promoting the growth of healthy, vigorous trees, coppicing contributes to the overall health and resilience of woodland ecosystems, which are essential for mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Diverse Crops, Diverse Communities
£26,273 was granted to Barleybird CIC to increase diversity in Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape.
Diversity brings resilience to natural systems, whether it is variety within or between crop species, and food, or within and between people in communities.
Barleybird ran a series of consultation exercises, farm visits and events involving farmers, food producers, community groups and schools.
Shrub management and trail improvements at Landguard Fort in Felixstowe
£33,795 was granted to the Landguard and Felixstowe Conservation Trust towards a total cost of £48,469 for equipment to manage improvements for public access, engagement and education on Landguard Nature Reserve.
The site is a 34-hectare site of ecological and historical significance, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and includes areas classified as Scheduled Monument.
Establishing a local food outlet to unlock value in the landscape
£27,342 was granted to Sotterley Investments Ltd to establish a local food outlet.
The funding went towards a total cost of £40,278 with the aim of developing a route to market for food products which make regenerative and sustainable land management practices on protected landscapes economically viable.
Irrigation Main relocation from Sutton Hoo Monument
£21,136 was granted to Soveriegn Turf Ltd towards a total cost of £34,215.
The project was to relocate a failed irrigation main that currently runs through the Historic monument at the Sutton Hoo National Trust.
Captain’s Wood Pond Restoration
£5,901 was granted to the Suffolk Wildlife Trust to renovate a pond and improve access to the woodland, which is a County Wildlife Site.
The woodland is important to the National Landscape, it is classified a Priority Habitat Inventory - Deciduous Woodland and also an Ancient Woodland.
Shotley Vineyards Weed Management
£2,662 was awarded to Goldcrest Agriculture and Property at Shotley Vineyards through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme.
The funding will be used to help introduce a new floor management system at Shotley Vineyard to manage the ground and weeds beneath the rows of vines.
The farmer will also establish a cover crop mixture in the alley ways, between the vines. The mixture of seeds includes a range of environmentally beneficial species .
Enhancement of Marshes at Iken
£19,200 was awarded to Iken Hall Farms for enhancement of marshes at Iken Hall Farm for breeding waders and wintering wildfowl.
A new solar powered pump was installed on the marshes by the estuary at Iken. This, along with new pipework, is directing water along and within a series of ditches and footdrains.
This will create areas of wet grassland and mud in the spring which will provide an abundant food supply for wader chicks.
Shingle Marshes Wilding Project
£9,217 was awarded to the Shingle Street Settlement Company to create a wetland with a scrape and some small lagoons.
The purpose of the project is to retain water all year round on a 10-hectare site of marshland which is relatively poor farming land. The aim is to support a substantial increase in biodiversity in the sea-side hamlet.
Weaving Farms, Land, People & Planet
£51,079 was awarded to Natural Habitat to collaborate with farmer members of the Blyth Valley Farm Cluster.
The aim of the project was to support them in establishing and developing close links with local primary schools and the wider public, via farmer training, resource creation, in school and on farm sessions.
Sandlings Orchard project
£57,226 was awarded to farmers in the East Suffolk Farmer Group to create 16 new orchards in the Sandlings area of south Suffolk.
This project was enthusiastically received by the panel as traditional orchards are part of a rich landscape, and are designated as a Priority Habitat because of their biodiversity value.
Clearance of invasive rhododendron in Rookyard and Fredericks Woods
Brick Kiln Farm in East Suffolk was awarded £7,924 towards clearance of invasive plant species to allow restoration of the native woodland.
Dark and thick Rhododendron bushes which had taken over 2.8 hectares of ancient mixed native deciduous woodland. The landowner worked alongside Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Natural England who supervised the contractors to cut and clear rhododendron, and burn new growth in selected open areas, away from mature trees to avoid damage.
Managing field margins and small meadows in the Blyth Valley Cluster
Hall Farm in Wenhaston was awarded £22,078 towards the purchase of haymaking equipment for the Blyth Valley Cluster farms to use for cutting, baling, and carting hay on margins and small meadows.
The trailer allows the midi-baler to be transported between the farms, where it is attached to the farmer’s own tractor. A grant of £614 has also been provided to make a video to share methods of use and best practice.
Enhancing habitat and protecting birdlife at Easton Marshes
A grant of £20,702 was provided to Easton Bavents Ltd to increase the suitability of this coastal site for nesting birds and other wildlife.
The project was to remove old, broken down, hazardous fencing and replace it with 1,622 m of new sheep fencing and gates along pathways and boundaries. The Easton Marshes site is an important one for a wide range of birdlife and so their nesting sites need protection.
Crimper cultivator to support regenerative farming methods
A grant of £20,240 was provided to Raven & Sons towards the cost of a
Horsch Cultro double crimper roller and harrow.
This equipment will allow cover crops and weeds to be destroyed ahead of direct drilling, without the use of glyphosate or cultivation.
Dodnash Orchards: Regeneration
Dodnash Fruit Farm was awarded £5,949 in 2021, and £23,653 in 2022/23 to
help rejuvenate their orchards.
Some fruit trees on the farm are old and completely unproductive as they are so over-grown, meaning the orchards get little sunlight.
The project aimed to regenerate the old orchards at Dodnash Fruit Farm through thinning and pruning to enable a commercially viable crop to be harvested, and see the orchards preserved in the landscape.
Control of American mink
A grant of £51,807 is being provided to Waterlife Recovery East to control the invasive American mink in the Coast & Heaths waterways to protect native wildlife.
American mink are accomplished predators which are not native to the UK. Without control, they would breed and numbers would quickly grow so that they would decimate populations of native wildlife.
Through the project, smart mink rafts are used as a more humane way of trapping the mink.
Construction of a swift nesting tower at Eastbridge
Waveney Bird Club was awarded £17,305 towards the erection of a swift tower at Eels Foot Inn at Eastbridge.
The tower provides 40 nesting areas for pairs of the birds and will promote the plight of swifts on the Suffolk coast.
The main target of this project is to provide essential swift nesting opportunities and to promote an awareness of biodiversity in the community and the importance of the swift as an indicator of the health of the environment.
Trimley Marshes Breeding Wader Project
An exciting project has taken place at Trimley Marshes Nature Reserve that will offer a range of benefits for wildlife, nature, and people.
The Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape awarded £32,880 to restore floodplain grazing marsh at the site outside Felixstowe, which sits on the banks of the river Orwell and is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
The project has restored and created new habitats which will help to increase populations of nationally important breeding waders such as redshank, lapwing, and avocet.
Traditional orchard and hedgerows project for East
Suffolk Farmer Group
£115,865 was awarded to the East Suffolk Farmer Group to create six new traditional orchards and 3,800 metres hedgerows with trees in the southern half of the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape.
This large-scale project covers 10 farms over 5,300 Hectares on the Shotley, Felixstowe and Orford peninsulas.
Shotley Peninsula wetland improvement project
The Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscapes granted £17,581 to farmers R&H Wrinch for wetland improvements at the Orwell Estuary, which is a SSSI site.
From the site, you can see Felixstowe docks across the river Orwell. This work will benefit breeding wader birds such as sandpipers, curlew, lapwing, redshank and snipe.
Footdrain creation on the Suffolk Coast
£4,999 was awarded to the Coast & Heaths Nature Recovery team for the Suffolk Wader Strategy Footdrain Creation Project.
The project was a collaborative piece of work, managed by the RSPB’s Wet Grassland Advisor who is part of the RSPB Ecology and Land Management Team and 50% of the cost was provided by the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Suffolk Wildlife Trust and East Suffolk Internal Drainage Board.
Staverton Woods and The Thicks
£73,723 was awarded to Wantisden Hall Farms through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme.
The funds were awarded for an exciting project to future-proof and manage these woodlands which are internationally recognised sites of great biological and historical significance.
Reedcutting in North Suffolk
£16,925 was awarded to Paul Eldridge Conservation through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme.
The funds were used to purchase new equipment which will enable an increase in the amount of reed cut for thatching, and manage/maintain the reedbeds more effectively to ensure a wide range of environmental benefits.
Year One (2021 / 2022)
CH01 - Dodnash Orchards
Total cost: £9,915
Farming in Protected Landscapes Grant: £5,949
Project Description: To regenerate old orchards at Dodnash Fruit Farm through thinning, pruning and soil improvement to enable a commercially viable crop to and the orchards to be preserved in the landscape. The orchards are a valued local feature and important wildlife habitat.
CH02 - Cliff Farm Black Poplars
Total cost: £3,821.50
Farming in Protected Landscapes Grant: £1,021
Project Description: To plant a set of native Suffolk black poplar trees, making the landscape more resilient to climate change and flooding and increasing biodiversity.
CH03 - High House Fruit Farm
Total cost: £2,538
Farming in Protected Landscapes Grant: £2,538
Project Description: To communicate to visitors to the farm the activities the farm is undertaking for the benefit of wildlife and the environment.
CH04 - Sandlings Orchards
Total cost: £57,226
Farming in Protected Landscapes Grant: £24,500 (Year 1)
Project Description: Establishing a series of small orchards on 16 farms. In the first year the project will installation deer fencing to protect the young trees and in year two the trees themselves will be planted.
Each orchard will comprise 20 heritage fruit and / or nut trees of a single or mixed varieties. Each orchard will be managed and maintained by its respective landowner, who will maintain the trees themselves.
Year Two (2022 / 2023)
CH04 - Sandlings Orchards
Total cost: £34,476
Farming in Protected Landscapes Grant: £34,476
Project Description: Year 2 of this project involves planting of the 16 new orchards.
CH06 - New Reed Cutter Header Unit
Total cost: £26,866
Farming in Protected Landscapes Grant: £16,925
Project Description: To purchase new equipment which will enable increase in the amount of reed cut for thatching, and manage/maintain the reed-beds more effectively which ensures a wide range of environmental benefits.
CH10 - Rhododendron Control at Brick Farm
Total cost: £10,471
Farming in Protected Landscapes grant: £7,924
Project Description: To control invasive growth of rhododendron plants in Rookyard and Fredericks woods. This will allow the native plants to thrive again and ensure the natural habitat for a range of woodland wildlife.
CH11 Wantisden Hall Farm - Staverton Park & The Thicks Futureproofing Management
Total cost and amount awarded by Farming in Protected Landscapes: £73,323
The project will create a tree nursery to produce up to 650 trees for planting and replacing losses in this important ancient woodland.
- Protect naturally regenerating saplings.
- Tree planting x 150 + maintenance and loss replacement.
- Manage bracken to establish natural regenerated and planted trees, and to reduce the risk of fire.
- Retrenchment of young trees planted within the last 50 years to create well-formed pollarded trees.
- Retrenchment of 15 severely declining oak trees within Staverton Park.
- Produce a report on the retrenchment findings.
- Undertake approximately 1 ha of rhododendron control in Staverton Park.
- Give a minimum of 2 talks or guided walks to local community groups and conservation organisation members e.g., CLA, RFS, LEAF, NFU, AONB, NE, ATF, Field Study Council etc.
- Organise and run a minimum of 3 AONB volunteer workdays each year.
CH12 Dodnash Fruit Farm – Orchard Improvements
Total cost: £9,888
Farming in Protected Landscapes grant: £5,933
Following on from last year’s work, there was a small but successful harvest at the orchards and this project will take this work further, preserving these beautiful orchards in the landscape and offering the farm a viable future:
- Bramley Orchards second year of major pruning
- Worchester Orchards detailed pruning
- Coppey Orchard first year of major pruning of remaining trees
- Spaces created by removing trees filled with traditional local varieties of apple, plum, gage and cherry.
CH14 Waterlife Recovery Trust
Total cost: £60,807
Farming in Protected Landscapes grant: £18,718 awarded for Year 2 and £33,089 for Year 3
This project is for control of American mink in and near the Coast & Heaths AONB. It follows on from similar projects in the Norfolk Broads and North Norfolk Coast AONBs.
Work involves the deployment and management of smart mink rafts in the catchment of rivers that pass through the AONB, with the objective of depressing mink numbers to near zero and thereby enhancing the survival of native water-linked wildlife such as water voles, kingfishers, sand martins, amphibians and fish.
CH16 East Suffolk Farmers Group
Total grant: £10,064
A feasibility study on nature-based solutions initiative.
CH17 Easton marshes
Total grant: £20,702
Work to enhance the habitat for wading birds.
CH18 Hall Farm, Wenhaston
Total grant: £20,702
Provision of equipment to manage meadows and margins to improve bio-diversity within the Blyth Valley Farmer Cluster.
CH19 Dodnash Fruit Farm
Total grant: £17,721
Felling of 52 over-grown Poplar trees (to be replaced with native species) and fencing to protect the orchards from deer.
CH22 Dingle and Hollesley marshes
Total grant: £4,200
Footdrain creation and wader project.
CH23 J R Keeble & Sons
Total grant: £1,684
Hedge restoration project.
CH24 Raven & Sons
Total grant: £4,900
Creation of a wildflower meadow enclosed with fencing and hedging.
CH25 SCC
Total grant: £4,999
Together with match-funding, project will create footdrains on wet grassland on the Alde/Orr estuary to benefit habitat to wading birds.
Year Three (2023 / 2024)
CH26 Blyth Valley Farmer Cluster
Total grant: £614
A training video and demonstration for the Blyth Valley Farm Cluster to explain hay making techniques using a midi-baler to access corners, small meadows and field margins.
CH29 Raven & Sons
Total grant: £20,240
Funding towards the purchase of a crimper roller to allow cover crops to be destroyed ahead of direct drilling. This will support regenerative farming and soil health by expanding the area of cover crops and reduce the use of glyphosate, ploughing and diesel on the farm.
CH30 A & R Jellicoe
Total grant: £1,376
Funding towards purchase of a draw bar to aid use of a midi-baler for wild-flower meadow maintenance.
CH31 Waveney Bird Club
Total grant: £14,189
Funding was awarded towards the construction and erection of a swift nesting tower at Eastbridge.
CH32 R Wrinch
Total grant: £17,505
Funding was awarded for the enhancement of wet grassland marshes to enhance the habitat for breeding wader birds.
CH33 Iken Hall Farms
Total grant: £19,200
Funding was awarded to buy and install a solar pump system which will retain the water levels on the marshes.
CH37 Walberswick Common Lands Charity
Total grant: £14,133
Funding was awarded to Walberswick Common Lands charity for the installation of water control structures to help with cattle grazing and habitat for breeding wader birds.
CH39 R Raven & Sons
Total grant: £6,575
Funding was awarded to R Raven & Sons for creation of a new wildflower meadow and hedges.
CH41 Donash Fruit Farm
Total grant: £6,963
Funding has been awarded towards orchard improvements for 2023/24
CH42 The Deben Otter Group
Total grant: £3,459
Funding was awarded for 2023/24 and £1,207 for 2025 for equipment to monitor otter activity.
Year Four (2024 / 2025)
CH44 Mr Bowden-Smith
Total grant: £4,939
Provision of a portaloo at High House Farm to support educational farm visits.
CH46 RSPB Hollesley Marshes
Total grant: £6,422
Supporting the RSPB to undertake grazing improvements at Hollesley Marshes.
CH47 Blyth Valley Farmer Cluster
Total grant: £9,988
Funding for a water quality monitoring project on the River Blyth.
CH48 Shingle Street Settlement Company
Total grant: £9,217
Habitat improvements.
CH49 Country Trust
Total grant: £9,142
Provision of educational school visits to local farms.
CH50 National Landscape team
Total grant: £4,014
Funding to enhance lowland wet grassland at Stanny Marshes through the creation of 900m of new footdrains.
CH51 Oxley Dairy
Total grant: £3,903
Funding awarded to replace a sluice to manage grazing land.
CH55 Richard Wrinch Farms
Total grant: £16,572
Funding was awarded to Richard Wrinch farms at Shotley (project cost £18,403) to purchase a detachable passenger pod and toilets to accommodate farm visits from local schools and community groups.
CH56 National Landscape team
Total grant: £63,451 (project cost £70,499)
Funding was awarded to the National Landscapes working with Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) for habitat enhancement at Trimley, Dingle, Snape and Stanny Marshes. The project aims to benefit wading birds, particularly Redshank, Lapwing and Avocet and includes monitoring the population sites.
CH57 National Landscape team
Total grant: £6,777 (total cost £7,312)
Funding has been awarded to the National Landscapes, Landscapes for All for community visits to Wrinch Farm at Shotley.
CH58 National Trust
Total grant: £27,696
Funding awarded to the National Trust towards the costs of machinery to enable habitat Improvement at Sutton Hoo and Kyson Hill.
CH60 Natural Habitat
Total grant: £5,156
Assisting development of a new website to encourage more people to engage in the National Landscape.
CH61 Barleybird CIC
Total grant: £7,470
Barleybird CIC have been granted to run Introduction to Agroecology courses for individuals wanting to learn about regenerative farming methods in the Suffolk & Essex Coast and Heaths.
CH62 Goldcrest Agriculture
Total grant: £2,662
Awarded to Goldcrest Agriculture for 50% of the cost of a new floor management system for their vines including a mechanical weeder and wildflowers between the rows of vines.
CH64 Circles Alternative Education
Total grant: £9,859
Awarded to Circles Alternative Education to help facilitate visits for children with special educational needs or disabilities for education and career development purposes.
CH65 Sovereign Turf Ltd
Total grant: £21,136
Grant awarded to help with the relocation of an irrigation main away from the Sutton Hoo Monument.
CH66 Shingle Street Settlement Company
Total grant: £1,602
Awarded to Shingle Street Settlement Company for a platform for their solar irrigation pump and other improvements.
CH67 Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Total grant: £3,600
Awarded to Suffolk Wildlife Trust for an effective and safe conservation cattle movement: a hardcore turning area at the end of the existing access track for moving cattle on and off the site.
CH68 Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Total grant: £5,901
Awarded to Suffolk Wildlife Trust to restore and improve ponds within the woodland and restore one scrape located within an open grassland meadow and to construct short boardwalks (up to 5m long) positioned along existing trail to improve winter access for public and encourage visitors to stay on trial.
CH69 Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Total grant: £2,782
Awarded to Suffolk Wildlife Trust to render Stanny Marshes nature reserve permanently accessible with a heavy duty, year-round track finished with aggregate that properly supports the day-to-day management of the reserve.
CH70 Sotterley Investments
Total grant: £27,342
Funding awarded to establish a local food outlet and develop a route to market for food products which make regenerative and sustainable land management practices on protected landscapes farmland economically viable.
CH73 Barleybird CIC
Total grant: £2,383
Funding awarded to run a course “Introduction to Agroecology” as a follow on to their earlier project, this course in on-lie for people who wanted to attend the earlier courses but work full time.
CH74 Mr Bowden-Smith
Total grant: £3,982
Funding has been awarded to Mr Bowden-Smith towards a tree nursery and an art trail.
Year Five (2025 / 2026)
CH76 Natural Habitat
Total grant: £70,982
Awarded to Natural Habitat to expand on their projects working with school children and community groups “Weaving Farms, Land, People and Planet”.
CH77 The Upper Deben Farm Cluster
Total grant: £7,043
A project involving four workshops on water quality, flood reduction and biodiversity.
CH78 Upper Alde and Ore Farmer Cluster
Total grant: £4,320
Granted to the Upper Alde and Ore Farmer Cluster for 4 workshops as described above.
CH79 The Otter Trust
Total grant: £9,863
The Otter Trust have been granted funding for native black poplar tree conservation work in the National Landscape.
CH80 The Country Trust
Total grant: £13,182
Funding has been awarded fora project that will see educational farm visits for disadvantaged children.
CH81 The Landguard Trust
Total grant: £33,795
A project that will see enhanced scrub management for biodiversity and trail improvements at the Landguard Nature Reserve in Felixstowe. This is a contribution of 80% towards the costs.
CH82 Barleybird CIC
Total grant:
A project called “Diverse communities, diverse crops” has been awarded £20,404. Barleybird CIC will be running the project which works with a range of growers, sellers and users of crops.
CH88 Essex Wildlife Trust
Total grant: £5,395
Funding was granted for coppicing 100 mature sweet chestnut stools to improve woodland condition at Copperas Wood SSSI.
CH89 Country Food Trust
Total grant: £120,062
A project to encourage culling of 2,000 Muntjak and Chinese Water deer, by paying a fair price to stalkers and guaranteeing collection of the carcasses from game dealers. These non-native deer are very invasive and destructive in the landscape and are increasing rapidly in numbers. The Country Food Trust will then pay game dealers to process the meat for them to be turned into 200,000 free venison meals which will be distributed to food banks and homeless shelters close to the National Landscape. An impact report will then be written to assess both the benefit to the landscape, and the local people using the foodbanks.
CH90 Sotterley Estate
Total grant: £25,437
Funding has been granted to the Sotterley Estate towards a total cost of £45,410. This project is to develop a Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths positive food business incubator programme for food start up businesses in a location (near Beccles) that creates a legacy enduring beyond the lifespan of funding.
CH91 Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Total grant: £6,220
Grant awarded towards costs of £7,775 to purchase equipment to support sustainable land management and habitat restoration across the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape. This includes acquiring a flotation-tyre trailer for use in wetland and peatland habitats, and brushcutters to support targeted vegetation clearance, access maintenance and invasive species control on sensitive landscapes.
CH92 Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Total grant:£4,741
A project to work with local farm clusters to create and manage strategically placed log piles to enhance habitat connectivity and support population recovery for stag beetles, which are a near -threatened species and essential in supporting ecosystems.
CH94 Shorelands Conservation CIC
Total grant: £9,376
As a sister-project to the one running Dedham Vale National Landscape, the project will map and increase the number of Elm trees in the landscape. They will visiting the known living elm trees to survey extant trees and collect propagation material. The species of the collected material will be identified, and propagation carried out to produce saplings available for planting in local planting schemes.
CH95 Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Total grant: £3,927
Awarded to Suffolk Wildlife Trust towards the cost of power tools for the volunteers to manage the Wrabness Nature Reserve for people and wildlife.
CH93 High House Farm
Total grant: £1,054.52
High House Farm in Hemley received funding for the construction of two bird hides by, and for use by, local school children and other groups.
CH96 Upper Deben Farm Cluster and Upper Alde and Ore Farm Cluster
Total grant: £10,484.42
Two groups of farmers, Upper Deben Farm Cluster and Upper Alde and Ore Farm Cluster have been granted funding for shared Soil Health Improvement and Monitoring Equipment. Anglian Water have provided £3,000 in matchfunding for the project.
CH97 Blyth Valley Farmer Cluster
Total grant: £3,011
Funding was awarded to the Blyth Valley Farmer Cluster to fund technology set-up to enable data gathering and plan future landscape scale nature, water quality and climate change projects.