LAND MANAGEMENT

From 2024, all our land moved over to Higher-Tier Countryside Stewardship as part of our ongoing work to improve biodiversity on the Estate. This includes restoring 1.5km of hedgerows and creating 35ha of species-rich grassland and wildflower meadows and field margin buffer strips which provide habitats and corridors for wildlife and improve water quality.

We recently set up the North Downs and Medway Gap farming cluster with our neighbouring farmers and landowners which covers roughly 6,000ha. This is part of our drive to help deliver Landscape Recovery on a large scale.

HABITAT RESTORATION

On the slopes of the North Downs escarpment, we restored 40 acres of SSSI calcareous (chalk) grassland through traditional conservation grazing by goats, cows and rare breed native sheep. The grazing patterns and divots created by the hooves encourage wildflowers and rare orchids to prosper which in turn, provides an ideal habitat for many species of fauna, including the rare Adonis Blue and Duke of Burgundy butterflies.

The next step will be to restore the last 25ha of SSSI chalk grassland and to restore lowland grassland back to herbal leys.

WOODLAND MANAGEMENT

The majority of the 700 acres of woodland on the Birling Estate is ancient woodland, where the soil has remained undisturbed for centuries and supports huge networks of fungi, connecting the trees in the wood-wide-web.

Well-managed woodland, through coppicing and selective thinning, allows light to the forest floor, which encourages groud flora and the insect life that thrives on it.

All of our woodlands are looked after in accordance with our Forestry Commission Approved Woodland Management Plan and are certified by Grown in Britain.

BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN

Kent Wildlife Trust have undertaken a Baseline UKHab Assessment which has enabled us to target opportunities to create high value (rare or distinctive) habitats that could be utilised for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) credits.

If you’re a developer looking for BNG opportunities, please get in touch.

WATER

Birling Estate is a source of clean and plentiful water for the downstream catchment, with chalk springs arising from the chalk bedrock across the estate.

We will monitor and enhance the 12km of chalk streams on the estate, creating and extending riparian planting strips and wetland areas to provide natural water quality treatment (nutrient offsetting), freshwater habitats for biodiversity and carbon sequestration.

A variety of historic ghost ponds and medieval stew ponds within a water meadow are waiting to be restored, this will create a 0.55ha fresh water habitat for wetland species.

CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Using a Whole Farm Reservoir assessment of the hydrology of the estate will enable us to understand how to best address localised flooding in Birling, Ryarsh, Snodland and Leybourne.

Utilising Natural Flood Management (NFM) interventions, such as planting wetland and wet woodland or leaky dams, will enable us to work together with nature to mitigate flood damage down-stream.

NET ZERO CARBON

Birling Estate has a target of achieving Net Zero by 2035. To achieve this we undertake carbon accounting, reducing emissions, reducing chemical farming inputs, sourcing locally & increasing renewables.

We’ve installed solar PV’s at Badgells Wood Camping, have a 50kWp solar array supplying the farmyard and have started implementing energy efficiency measures on residential properties.

SOIL

As we continue working towards regenerative agriculture, some of our arable fields are under soil management, with no pesticide use, reduced artificial inputs and planting winter cover crops.

We undertake annual soil testing and are experimenting with alternative methods to improve soil health, including low-intervention vineyard practices.

We have been using organic fertiliser for over a decade to reduce carbon emissions and build soil health and are investigating other low-carbon alternatives such as Biochar.

However, the demands of bread producers for wheat above a certain quality requires the use of some artificial fertilisers. To reduce this, consumer expectations and producer requirements need to be re-adjusted. It is not something farmers can do alone.

HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE

Reinvestment in our heritage buildings has seen us convert a number of redundant agricultural buildings into commercial units over the years.

Planning Permission was secured to develop a derelict Victorian Walled Garden into a Wellness and Therapy Space with landscaped gardens for the local community.

The ancient Kent Barn and Oast Buildings, currently disused, have also been earmarked for conversion in the future.