Almost £130,000 will be granted in funding over the next decade to help the creation of a groundbreaking 160-acre country park become a reality.
Dereham Town Council has been awarded £127,000 by Defra which will be seen over the next 10 years to improve biodiversity on land the council purchased around the Neatherd - with work set to start this spring.
The town council completed the purchase of a crucial 22 hectares of arable land - previously labelled "the last piece of the jigsaw", in January 2022.
The funding is provided in order to increase both biodiversity and public access to the land.
The funding maintains and enhances grassland management on areas previously acquired by the town council, but its primary aim is to provide new habitat linking the common land at Neatherd Moor to that at Etling green with a mosaic of habitats supporting birds, invertebrates, reptiles and plants.
This will primarily be achieved through the creation of species-rich grassland on land taken from an arable system, providing a new link in Dereham’s green belt.
Hugh King, mayor of Dereham, said: “It is really good news getting this funding approved now.
"Residents will be able to see work begin in the spring with the fields being cultivated and sown with a range of seed mixes which will both provide a nectar source for insects and seeds to provide winter feed for birds."
"Over the next couple of years, the area will be transformed with just over one mile of additional hedging being planted and new ponds being created. I feel this is a project which, in years to come, future generations will still be appreciating”.
It will complete a project more than a decade in the making, bridging Neatherd Moor in the west with Etling Green in the east to form a vast area of open space accessible to the public.
The council agreed to buy the land back in July 2021 but had been waiting for the contract to be signed and sealed.
The origins of the ambitious proposal were born in 2008 when the council commissioned a green infrastructure study in the town.
One of the findings identified the benefits of creating linkages between Neatherd Moor and Etling Green - both of which are designated County Wildlife sites.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here