Stoke Park Funded Conservation Work To Start This Year

Conservation will be starting at Stoke Park this year after £500,000 of funding was awarded to the estate by Natural England.

Investment from the award which was matched funding to the Stoke Park Dowery, will mean improvements and restoration work will be carried out over the next two years.

Extended grazing land, restoring a heritage wall and planting of 70 new trees will be some of the work carried out, alongside protecting listed monuments and repairing hedgerows for wildlife.

The Grade II historic park has important features including WWII anti-aircraft gun battery and areas of grassland which labels Stoke Park as a designated Site of Nature Conservation Importance.

CEO of Avon Wildlife Trust, Ian Barrett said: “We are delighted that Bristol City Council has been successful in this funding which allows Stoke Park’s historic and valuable landscape to be managed sensitively for people and wildlife.

“The work to restore and improve grassland is vitally important. Wildflower grassland is not only a beautiful landscape to enjoy, but a rich habitat for many species including butterfly and bee populations. Yet we’ve lost 97% of the UK’s wildflower-rich grasslands since the 1930s.

“We support the work Bristol City Council is doing in Stoke Park to reverse this decline locally and restore a grassland landscape within the city.”

During the work, there will be minor disruption to some walking route. Residents are urged to visit  www.bristol.gov.uk/stokeparkimprovements to keep up-to-date with developments.