A regenerative approach for an estate left in Trust

Left in Trust, the Rauceby Estate in Lincolnshire presents a traditional mixed estate which is farmed in hand and arranged around a central village. The wishes of the previous owner were to see the estate deliver optimum environmental and social benefit for future generations, but with no steer on what form that would take.

The Trustees came to Rural Solutions to understand the possible options and to shape a strategy for the estate that would honour the legacy and desires of its former owner. A detailed review of the asset base, local context, constraints, and opportunities indicated a strong prospect for environmental enhancement and associated ‘public good’ benefits. The estate is now transitioning from conventional land management associated with commercial agricultural production, towards a more holistic system underpinned by the principles of regenerative agriculture. This plan will complement other schemes developed around education, public access and research.

Objective

To develop a viable and robust estate strategy designed to deliver environmental, educational, and social benefit, together with a baseline from which the Trustees can identify future areas for study and research.

Approach

Rural Solutions undertook a detailed estate-wide asset appraisal and coordinated an environmental baseline assessment to include technical surveys relating to soil, water and ecology as well as a thorough stakeholder engagement exercise with neighbouring landowners, local organisations and statutory bodies.

Following the establishment of this baseline and the identification of opportunities for improvement in the environmental value of the estate, work has begun to explore opportunities to maximise the potential contribution of the Estate in terms of water quality, habitat enhancement, restoration, connectivity, and landscape scale benefit. Alongside these environmental contributions, projects and initiatives will incorporate education, public access, and food production.

Work is ongoing but has so far resulted in the development of a strong evidence base to aid decision making, widespread stakeholder support and a significant amount of local support and interest. With baselining complete, a land management design is underway alongside the upskilling of the existing estate management team in all things ‘regenerative’ and wider stakeholder engagement relating to various potential projects and initiatives.