Project profile: Wild Ken Hill
By Sally Ormiston | 02.08.23
We were delighted to deliver a fantastic result in obtaining planning consent for a long-standing client that will help them take their vision for regenerative land management to the next level with a new visitor experience to enable many more people to learn from the pioneering work being done in Norfolk.
Come into the wild
"Planning permission secured for nature-based tourism at Wild Ken Hill"
Wild Ken Hill is a special place. The Buscall family’s vision to create a pioneering ecological restoration project through a combination of conservation, returning land to nature and regenerative farming has been widely acknowledged as one of the leading examples of environmental innovation in the UK.
In ecological terms, the project is undoubtedly delivering, with the latest species count topping 2,500 and reports of goshawk fledglings, a wasp spider, and a woodcock chick showing the diversity of wildlife beginning to thrive.
Wild Ken Hill’s mission is to use its work as a living-learning experience, sharing the knowledge and experience gained with others involved in or interested in the regenerative land management movement.
They have welcomed numerous groups and visitors to their estate in coastal west Norfolk as well as hosting several seasons of the BBC Spring and Autumnwatch programmes. But there is the ambition to do more, to create an experience that will be accessible to more people that will provide the opportunity to understand and engage with the work at Ken Hill.
An experience for all
To that end, Rural Solutions have worked with Project Manager Dominic Buscall to design a new visitor experience incorporating camping, glamping, adventure play, cycle tracks, a café, events, and classroom space.
From market testing to concept creation, stakeholder management, building design, and a full planning application, this has been a real team effort to overcome some tricky issues and secure planning consent.
Touching on the North Norfolk AONB, landscape impact was key, and the scheme design takes that into account, with the landscape masterplan created by Toby Diggens of Digg & Co. ensuring that the regenerative ethos of the place runs through the landscaping that will shape the visitor experience.
The new Wild Ken Hill experience will be a valuable addition to the visitor offer in this part of Norfolk and will help to contribute to the county’s aims for year-round sustainable tourism. An off-road path linking the settlements to either side of the site, a dog walking area, free parking, and parts of the experience accessible at no charge will mean the local community can access the site to further the good relationships the estate enjoys with its neighbours.
A man on a mission
This success will enable the team at Wild Ken Hill to realise their vision to drive positive change across the UK countryside by setting a new standard for land management and enabling visitors access to Wild Ken Hill to educate and engage people in this important work. In doing so, this ensures a sustainable future for the wider project to show that regenerative practices are good business, as well as good for the planet.
To read more about Dominic’s ambition and what led him to be such a force for change, this article for Rewilding Britain is well worth a read.
