Welcome
Landscape Recovery is one of the three Government funded environmental management schemes (ELMS), alongside the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship. ELMS support farmers to deliver a range of environmental outcomes, with a focus on net zero, biodiversity, and water quality. Find out more here: Landscape Recovery: round two – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Led by Clinton Devon Estates, the Heaths to Sea Landscape Recovery initiative holds nature recovery ambitions of national significance. Located in East Devon’s lower River Otter catchment, the scheme spans 4,500 hectares of the East Devon countryside and will power nature recovery across the agricultural hinterlands linking three parts of the Pebblebed Heaths National Nature Reserve (NNR). The focus of this landscape recovery initiative includes river/floodplain restoration and woodland creation.
Although the scheme has a focus on nature recovery, it is not about stopping food production; we believe nature recovery and productive agriculture can and must co-exist. Our vision is for this diverse landscape to be nature rich and ecologically healthy whilst also supporting food production, net zero, timber and access needs.
The 2-year project development phase (April 2024-March 2026) will:
- Review existing habitat and landscape connectivity across the catchment and provide a blueprint for how this can be improved.
- Develop and cost long-term solutions to maintain public access, including those footpaths alongside the River Otter, where public access and existing health and wellbeing benefits are currently threatened by erosion.
- Assess the potential for new woodland creation and provision of enhanced access through the wider landscape.
Our vision is that by working together, this initiative will:
1
Deliver an accessible, nature-rich landscape that is resilient to climate change.
2
Support East Devon’s net-zero and food production ambitions.
3
Drive a stronger, greener, and more sustainable economy.
The Team
Getting Involved
Throughout the project it is vital that we communicate and engage with the right stakeholders and local communities.
Stakeholders will be involved in shaping priorities for the landscape plan. A Stakeholder Communication Advisory Group (SAG) has been established to help steer the development phase. The SAG includes representatives from local government, local parish councils, land managers and a range of private and environmental organisations with an interest in the landscape and the environmental, social and economic benefits it supports.
Local communities and visitors to the lower Otter Valley are invited to input their thoughts into the Heaths to Sea project plans through this engagement process. Through February and March 2025, we ran a six-week public engagement campaign of events and a survey to discuss the project with the public and receive your thoughts. Thank you to everyone who took part. All survey responses and discussion points from the events are being pulled into a report to feed into the project plans.
There will continue to be opportunities for wider public consultation throughout the course of the development phase, and beyond.
Register here to be kept up to date on project plans.
News & Media
Click the links below to see coverage of our project.
Walking with Derek Gow
The Lower Otter Restoration Project ends and Landscape Recovery begins
Heaths to Sea Landscape Recovery Project: Options and plans development.
Heaths to Sea Landscape Recovery Project
Project Governance
We have a project governance structure to make sure the project has the right technical advice, is engaging widely and effectively, and to make sure we are held to account on key project actions.
Advisory groups include:
Latest meeting papers can be found here.
Contact
If you need any further information, please get in touch.
Clinton Devon Estates
Rolle Estate Office
Bicton Arena,
East Budleigh,
Budleigh Salterton,
Devon
EX9 7BL
mail@heathstosea.com
