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Stubbington Brent Goose Reserve
Brent goose and wader mitigation under the Solent Waders and Brent Goose Strategy, on land we own freehold and protect in perpetuity.
Exact location shared on enquiry.
- Mitigation
- Brent goose and wader habitat
- Strategy
- Solent Waders and Brent Goose
- Developments supplied
- 1
- Protection
- In perpetuity
About the scheme
An arable field off Burnt House Lane in Stubbington, within five kilometres of the Portsmouth Harbour brent goose roost and about 240 metres from the Solent and Southampton Water protected sites. Brent geese feed inland up to five kilometres from their roost, but they were not using this field because it was in cereals and disturbed by dog walkers.
The core of the field is now a perennial rye-grass sward managed for wintering brent geese under the Solent Waders and Brent Goose Strategy, as long-term functionally linked land supporting the birds from the surrounding protected sites. No fertiliser is used and no crops are taken. Bird surveys run monthly through the winter for the first five years and every five years after that, with cameras checking use in between.
This is the land that unlocked a Home Office scheme stalled for over a year. The mitigation is secured in perpetuity, funded by an endowment, and reported to Natural England and Fareham Borough Council.
How the mitigation works
- Core goose area
- 5.5 hectares of perennial rye-grass, cut short through the growing season to give the geese the grazing they need in winter.
- Open, undisturbed ground
- Large open field with clear sight lines and seasonal wet ground, fenced against the dog walking that kept birds away.
- Secondary wader support
- Also suitable for lapwing and snipe.
Location
Neighbouring authorities are in lighter green. The dot shows the general location.
Which schemes it can serve
Schemes in the Solent that need brent goose or wader mitigation under the strategy, or as Habitat Regulations compensation agreed with Natural England. Send us the site and the assessment and we’ll tell you within a day whether this land can serve it.
Local planning authority
- Fareham
Who stands behind the obligation
- The land
- We own the land freehold, with no lease and no third-party landowner.
- The covenant
- A conservation covenant or planning obligation protecting each site in perpetuity, registered against the title.
- Responsible Body
- An independent Responsible Body or the local authority can step in if we ever fail to deliver.
- The endowment
- Long-term management is funded by an endowment set aside at allocation.
- Financial strength
- We have £56.5m of capital for land and habitat, and are rated Very Low Risk with an international credit score of A. That capital lets us buy land and create habitat before your programme needs it, and fund its management for the long term.
Check availability at Stubbington Brent Goose Reserve
Send us the site, the species and the assessment, and we’ll reply within a day.