Understanding & Respecting Sensitive Environments
St Osyth Priory and its associated parkland possesses a hugely diverse palette of habitats and wildlife, within a unique and spectacular setting adjacent to the River Colne Estuary, an extensive wetland habitat of national and international importance for a wide range of wildfowl, invertebrates and salt marsh plant communities.
The Priory parkland contains a mosaic of historic ponds and avenues, woodland, reed bed and veteran trees within a parkland setting, combined with extensive wetland habitats created by mineral extraction, which now provide complementary habitat for the birds and other wildlife using the estuarine marshes.
The complexities and challenges associated with the sympathetic development of parts of the estate have required a robust and sometimes alternative approach to ecological appraisal and mitigation. At all times the opportunities for positive habitat enhancement and the need to ensure that inhabiting populations of badgers, bats, reptiles and other protected and notable species are safeguarded in the long term, have been given absolute priority. A team of specialist ecologists have over the last decade provided a comprehensive ecological data-base relating to the site and its environs.
Constraints and potentially negative impacts have, through the adoption of a positive approach and comprehensive consultation, both within master-planning team and also with Natural England, the Essex Wildlife Trust and other environmental consultees, been turned around into positive opportunities to optimise and perpetuate the nature conservation value of the Priory for posterity, through strategic habitat creation, restoration and long term conservation management. City & Country believes it will be possible to encompass sympathetic development into the special environment at St Osyth and to ensure that visitors to the park and new residents co-exist successfully with the wide range of inhabiting wildlife.
King Edward VII Hospital
The site of the King Edward VII hospital lies within the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) which in March 2010 became part of the South Downs National Park. The core area of the site adjacent to the hospital is listed as Grade II in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historical Interest in England.
Today the site of the King Edward VII Estate supports a diverse mosaic of habitats. The site is primarily composed of a variety of broad-leaved semi-natural woodland and large areas of coniferous plantation woodland types, surrounding the roads, car parks and formal gardens of the former King Edward VII Hospital. Within the site there are also interesting patches of heath land and acid and amenity grassland. This diverse habitat mosaic supports a wide variety of plants and animals. To the west the site borders Woolbeding and Pound Common Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This is an important area of lowland heath which supports a rich and diverse invertebrate fauna and provides habitat for internationally important heath land birds.
An historic landscape and ecological assessment of the site is currently being undertaken to establish the sensitivities of the different areas of the site to determine the most appropriate areas for enabling development or ecological enhancement.
The Future
There is a determination on behalf of City & Country Group to restore and reinstate substantial parts of the Gertrude Jekyll designed gardens that have been lost over time. This includes the schemes for the entrance drive, and the west courtyard up to the chapel. We are also looking to find ways to enhance the ecology of some specific areas in order to balance the requirements of the potential enabling development.