Huge step forward for plans to restore popular woodland park with details shared
Step forward for £2millon restoration plans at woodland park
Details for major plans to revive a much-loved park’s lakes, waterfalls and Victorian landmarks have been unveiled.
Fareham Borough Council has submitted a planning application for its £2million restoration programme at Holly Hill Woodland Park, in Sarisbury Green, with a decision expected on October 7.
The application, lodged on August 12, seeks full planning permission for landscape restoration and conservation work across the 35-hectare park. The council said the restoration is an “investment in the borough’s heritage, its natural environment and its communities”.
If approved, the scheme would see the park’s historic lake system de-silted and restored, alongside repairs to its distinctive Pulhamite rockwork, grottoes, bridges, cascades and weirs.
Plans also include restoring the 1930s Sunken Garden, improving footpaths and creating new accessible routes, as well as upgrading entrances, seating, signs and visitor facilities.
Holly Hill Woodland Park is a local nature reserve and Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, containing ancient semi-natural woodland, lakes, streams and a Victorian designed landscape.
The council’s planning statement said the park attracts between 250,000 and 300,000 visitors a year, but warned that many of its heritage features have deteriorated due to age, structural problems, and silting in the lake system.
It states that without intervention there is a risk of further damage to the park’s historic significance, ecology, and visitor experience.
The proposals form part of the Holly Hill Woodland Park Rediscovered project, which is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Alongside repairing historic structures, the plans would introduce habitat improvements and a long-term woodland management programme.
This would tackle invasive species including rhododendron and cherry laurel, while encouraging native woodland regeneration.
The council said the work would be carried out in phases to reduce disturbance to wildlife, as the park is known to support protected and notable species, including bats, breeding birds, reptiles, great crested newts and badgers.
Accessibility is also a central part of the scheme, with improved surfaces, additional seating and a route intended to make the Sunken Garden and other key areas easier to reach for people with limited mobility.
Fareham Borough Council said the proposals would protect and enhance the park’s heritage while “improving biodiversity, climate resilience and opportunities for recreation, learning and volunteering.”
As previouslsy reported by The News, Fareham Borough Council has received initial support of £111,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Holly Hill Rediscovered project to help the council progress its plans to apply for a further National Lottery grant towards the full project costs.
The council is also contributing £60,000 in match funding for this stage of the project, having last year set aside a contribution of £1.056 million to support the full £2.046 million restoration project to improve the functionality, sustainability and aesthetic appearance of the lakes and ponds within the popular parkland area.