Draft strategic partner vision for rewilding programme in Harborough District published

A draft strategic partner vision for Rewilding Harborough, an ambitious programme to restore nature-depleted areas to the north of Market Harborough and other key sites across the district, has been published by Harborough District Council.

The council and partner organisations, neighbouring landowners and specialist organisations and agencies have set out how: “Together we aim to restore and reconnect habitats at scale across the district, creating a resilient and healthy environment, accessible for people, teeming with nature and rich with opportunities for learning, health and wellbeing.”

A specific vision for the key strategic location in the Rewilding Harborough programme to the north of Market Harborough outlines how a publicly accessible new open space for the physical and mental wellbeing of all local residents and visitors will be created, therefore developing a lasting legacy for the area. The vision goes on to state:

“We will bring nature back to where it has been lost by restoring terrestrial and freshwater habitats at scale. Our vision is to create an interconnected network of species-rich landscapes extending from the River Welland to the Grand Union Canal. This network will comprise of a diverse range of species-rich habitats, from grasslands, woodlands and scrub to newly created ponds and watercourses, and restored stretches of the Welland, all working together to support thriving wildlife and a healthier natural environment for local communities.

“We will reintroduce natural processes across the landscape, reconnecting the river with its floodplain, allowing trees and flowering plants to regenerate naturally, and re-establishing grazing systems that mimic those found in nature. These changes will help restore healthy ecosystems and build the climate resilience our landscapes need for the future.”

In March 2025, the council bought 133.3 acres of land at Tin House Farm, Great Bowden, Leicestershire, for just under £1.8 million to create a unique project of national significance to restore nature at a landscape scale, bringing benefits to wildlife, people and communities. With the support of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, the Rewilding Harborough programme will work to restore a nature-depleted area, reestablishing natural processes and building a network of nature sites where wildlife can thrive. People will be at the heart of this project, with the site being publicly accessible and the creation of opportunities for learning and the wider benefits that nature can bring.

The council has also started to outline how it wants to further develop re-wilding across the whole district with plans for a Lutterworth Corridor Vision including the existing Lutterworth Country Park and relatively new Magna Park owned Bittesby Country Park by collaborating with surrounding landowners and businesses, and creating a connected and publicly accessible major linear wildlife corridor along the former railway line extending northwards into central Leicestershire. A number of working groups, public meetings, and a volunteers event are also being worked on and regular updates will provide more details about these.

Other potential sites have been identified in a number of areas of the Harborough District which will continue to be explored, and other locations will also be supported where sites are put forward. 

Cllr Phil Knowles, Leader of Harborough District Council, said: “The Rewilding Harborough programme presents an amazing opportunity to restore nature in our district on a nationally important scale. The council’s purchase of land to the north of Market Harborough has been the catalyst for a strategic partnership that will rewild large swathes of nature-depleted countryside, protecting it as public open space for generations to come and bringing nature back to the district. I think it is wonderful news for our district and local communities that we will be looking to expand our focus on nature recovery across other areas of our large district in time.” 

Partner organisations and landowners who have joined the council to help to realise the vision include Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, Anglian Water, Market Harborough & The Bowden’s Charity, and Canal & River Trust. Specialist organisations and agencies include East Mercia Rivers Trust, The Environment Agency, The Forestry Commission and Natural England. 

Read the draft vision for Rewilding Harborough in the papers for the Cabinet meeting on 16 September 2025 (item 11, appendix A).