Home Farm - Burkham, Bentworth

Long term intentions

Home Farm was designed to create wood pasture managed by extensive grazing with a small number of conservation stock. The stock would be free to roam throughout the grassland and planted areas once the latter were robust enough. Now that the plantations are some 15 years old, we can move on to the next phase of development. The meadows will be diversified by allowing small patches of scrub and trees to develop; we will introduce grazing stock to produce a dynamic mosaic of habitats; we will also gradually remove internal fences and allow stock to roam freely in both the meadows and the plantations. Eventually the distinction between woods and meadows will blur and the whole site will develop as a dynamic landscape of maturing woodland, scrub areas and substantial open space, yielding high biodiversity and public amenity.

The design of Home Farm aims to encourage enjoyment by the pedestrian public with an extensive maintained ride network, open spaces and a small car park with information boards. There are no public rights of way crossing the land, only a network of permissive paths. Visitor numbers were estimated at 20,000 per year in 2004, mostly dog-walkers visiting by car. We intend to research visitors to Home Farm more thoroughly to guide investment in the site. It has proved very popular so far and this pressure is beginning to show in terms of parking availability and wear on paths. Once the grazing stock have settled in, we intend to improve Home Farm for visitors by provision of another carpark on Spain Lane and an upgrade of access points and some paths. It is essential to retain the low-key country feel of the site and not turn it into a country park.

All four of the Woodland Trust's corporate objectives of no further loss of ancient woodland, improving biodiversity, increasing the area under native trees and enhancing the public's enjoyment of woodland can all be met at Home Farm.

The ASNW at Wigdell copse will be allowed to develop naturally with no intervention except measures for public safety. The biodiversity of lfora and fauna should gradually spread out to the surrounding plantations as they mature. The nearby conifer plantation will be gradually thinned to favour the broadleaf trees and regeneration of native species.