Farm near London to be rewilded to enable wildlife (others calling for housing) (UK) 2/Aug/2024

Farm north of London to be returned to something like pasture once enjoyed by Anglo-Saxon king. It was once woodland where Harold Godwinson, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king, rode in pursuit of deer. Over recent decades, the hillside with a panoramic view of London has become arable fields, pony paddocks and a Christmas tree plantation. But now Harold’s Park, a 200-hectare (500 acre) farm just north of the M25 on the edge of the capital, is to be rewilded and returned to something like the tangled wood pasture once enjoyed by King Harold. Ancient oak pollards will be allowed to spread their acorns, old hedges will sprout into the fields, field drains will be broken up and ponds restored, helping invertebrates, wildflowers and birds and people rediscover the hillside, which enjoys spectacular views of the London skyline from the Shard to Wembley stadium. “It’s really very special,” said Ivan de Klee, head of natural capital at Nattergal, the rewilding company that has bought the hi