Kennet Valley Wetland Reserve

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Summary:

In 2018 The Town and Manor bought 16 hectares (40 acres) of historic wetland meadow on the north-western edge of Hungerford immediately adjacent to the River Kennet.

The site of the Kennet Valley Wetlands Reserve.
To the left is the winding River Kennet; to the right is Charnham Park.

This area of land had been derelict since the 1970s, being of poor agricultural quality, and is now heavily overgrown with limited structural or botanical diversity.

Detailed and very favourable surveys indicated that it had great potential for regeneration as a wetland nature reserve, which will become of regional importance.

Plans are in hand to improve this wetland habitat and to encourage biodiversity and local nature recovery. The associated carbon capture and retention will have far-reaching benefits for the environment, while the provision of the reserve, as a public amenity space, will offer physical health and mental wellbeing benefits to all its visitors.

This land is just the latest area acquired by the Town and Manor of Hungerford who are responsible for the governance and management of 170 hectares (420 acres), which includes the rivers Kennet and Dun, commons and marshes, 44% of which is designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

See also:

- Kennet Valley Wetland Reserve leaflet (May 2023).

- Kennet Valley Wetland Reserve (on the Town & Manor website)

- Town and Manor of Hungerford