Sweet Briar Marshes: A shared vision

Discovery stage – listening and learning  

As well as conserving and restoring valuable ecological habitats and biodiversity at Sweet Briar Marshes, we are excited about the opportunity the space has for inspiring people to care for and act for wildlife, as well as benefit from having easy access to nature for their wellbeing and enjoyment.   
   
In order to make these important nature connections, particularly with the local community, we used a collaborative approach to developing Sweet Briar Marshes. We worked with the local community and other stakeholders to produce a shared vision for the reserve. 

Working with local communities  

Our focus was on listening to the views of people, groups and schools based in the area surrounding Sweet Briar Marshes. We asked – what did they want to see and do at our newest urban nature reserve?   
   
During 2023, our engagement team met members of the local community to gather ideas and feedback and gave talks in schools and community centres. They also ran free events, from guided walks to practical conservation tasks so people could get to know Sweet Briar Marshes prior to it being open to the public. Over one thousand people got involved in the community engagement process – their views helped shape our shared vision for the reserve.  

A shared vision for Sweet Briar Marshes  

Our appointed landscape architects SheilsFlynn has been working with us and representatives of local communities to jointly design a vision for Sweet Briar Marshes. This 'concept plan' captures the feedback received from community engagement, as well as shows the possibilities and constraints from in-depth research and growing knowledge of the site

Read more about our plans