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Future Saltram: Investing in heritage, nature and wellbeing in Plymouth

A girl throws sand in the air on a sensory walk
We are working to support well-being through connections with heritage and nature at Saltram in Plymouth | © James Beck

Saltram is a much-loved place, offering a vital connection to heritage and green space in a growing city. As Plymouth expands, we want to ensure Saltram continues to support health, well-being, and education for generations to come. We’re committed to making Saltram more inclusive and accessible, so that everyone feels welcome and can enjoy all that this special place has to offer. Working with our partners, we’re delivering a range of improvements across the estate to better serve the needs of our local communities.

Our vision for Saltram

Saltram is a place that Plymouth people take pride in -  it links the city and its communities with history, nature and green space. Over the next decade, we’re working to ensure that Saltram is more welcoming, accessible, and relevant to the people who need it most.

We will open up more free-to-access green space, create new habitats for wildlife, restore historic landscapes and views, and improve visitor facilities. We’re also committed to making it easier for local communities to access and enjoy everything Saltram has to offer - whether for relaxation, learning, or well-being.

Together we are shaping this next chapter in Saltram’s history, ensuring this special place is here for everyone, for ever.

Future Saltram: Access to Nature and Heritage

Watch the video to find out more about Saltram's ambitious Access to Nature and Heritage package - the first stage in our Future Saltram project.

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Doubling the country park at Saltram

This year work will start to double the amount of free-to-access country park at Saltram. Spanning 32 hectares (79 acres) - equivalent to 45 football pitches - on the eastern side of the 213 hectare (528 acre) estate, this ambitious project aims to create a vibrant, accessible green space for community wellbeing and engagement, as well as providing a boost for nature.

The existing country park at Saltram is already visited an estimated 1 million times each year. This additional green space means improved access to nature and its well documented well-being benefits for Plymouth's growing population. 

Thanks to support from our partner, Sport England, the creation of a new accessible 4km multi-use trail, will connect with the existing riverside walk at Saltram and cater for the many ways people use the outdoor space here, from cyclists, walkers and wheelchair users to families with pushchairs and those needing a little more reassurance underfoot. New wildflower meadows and a new community forest will create new habitats for wildlife and a space for visitors to access and connect with nature in the city. 

We have now secured planning permission for the new accessible trail, tree planting and wildflower meadow creation. We aim to open this new area of the countryside park in 2026. Please head to the project updates section below for all the latest developments.

Two children ride bikes along a track through the woods at Saltram, Devon
The existing country park at Saltram is already visited an estimated 1 million times each year | © National Trust Images / Chris Lacey

Future Saltram: Access to Nature and Heritage

We have been awarded a £4.5 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, enabling us to move into the next phase of our ambitious project to transform Saltram into a more inclusive, welcoming, and inspiring place for everyone in Plymouth.

This funding supports a £6.2 million, four-year project that will remove barriers to nature and heritage, especially for children, young people, and underserved communities. It marks the beginning of a transformational journey to make Saltram a thriving local destination rooted in nature, creativity, and enriching experiences.

What’s happening next?

With the support of this funding, we’ll begin the Delivery Phase of the project in September 2025, running through to 2029.

Here’s what you can expect:

  • Improved accessibility: A new step-free route from the stables through the historic house, including the installation of a lift to the first floor.
  • Plymouth’s first Changing Places facility in a green space, offering dignified access for people with complex disabilities.
  • Revitalised spaces: Six areas across the estate will be reimagined to tell previously untold stories, shaped by input from over 4,000 local people.
  • Inclusive programming: Sensory-friendly exhibits, relaxed openings, and audience-led activities will help more people connect with Saltram in ways that are meaningful to them.
  • Nature-based experiences: From wildflower meadows and 20,000 new trees to co-created play spaces, we’re investing in wellbeing and environmental stewardship.
  • Opportunities for young people: Nearly 5,000 children and young people will benefit from work experience, school programmes, internships, and apprenticeships.
  • Conservation and restoration: The Grade II* listed parkland will be enhanced, and the iconic amphitheatre will be stabilised and removed from the Heritage at Risk register.

Why this matters

Saltram is already a much-loved part of Plymouth, but we know not everyone has been able to enjoy it equally. This project is about changing that - opening up Saltram to everyone, and making it a place where people feel welcome, represented, and inspired.

Visitors walk along a path through the woods and beside a river at Saltram, Devon
This project will support a growing city by removing barriers to make Saltram a leader in inclusive access for the heritage sector | © National Trust Images / John Millar

Get in touch

Your feedback matters. Questions and comments from our neighbours and those who love to visit Saltram have really helped shaped our thinking so far. Get in touch to share your views, or ask us anything about the work we do: futuresaltramproject@nationaltrust.org.uk 

Project updates

July 2025

We have been awarded a £4.5 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund

From vision to reality, this four-year project marks a major step forward in making Saltram a place for everyone.
Following two years of listening, testing, and planning, we’ve now secured funding to begin the Delivery Phase in September 2025. Over the next four years, we’ll work with local communities to improve accessibility, revitalise spaces, and create inclusive experiences rooted in nature, creativity, and heritage.

A girl wearing a yellow rain coat and wearing noise blocking headphones holds her ears and smiles
A range of accessibility improvements have already been made at Saltram to improve your visit | © Annapurna Mellor

Our partners

Heritage Fund

Inspiring, leading and resourcing the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future.

Visit website 

Sport England

Established by Royal Charter in 1996, Sport England's vision is to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity.

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You might also be interested in

Our work at Saltram 

A dedicated team of staff and volunteers work to maintain Saltram’s house and estate, which includes a project to revive the Orange Grove in the garden.

Two Rangers are photographed building a new fence on the Saltram Estate

Green Minds project at Saltram 

Saltram continues to put nature at the heart of its decisions with the Green Minds Plymouth project. Find out how the project has helped to change and shape Saltram for future generations.

Exploring the park at Saltram 

Explore beautiful countryside nestled amongst Plymouth’s urban environment at Saltram. Woodland, estuary and open green spaces provide the backdrop to this city escape.

Visitors Walk their dog near the Amphitheatre Folly in the parkland in Autumn at Saltram

Things to do in Saltram house 

Feast your eyes on Robert Adam’s neo-classical saloon at Saltram, lose yourself in the stories in the Chinese wallpaper and wonder at the sheer volume of books in the library.

A mum holds her young daughter in her arms as they both smile looking at historic Chinese wallpaper

Our cause 

We believe that nature, beauty and history are for everyone. That’s why we’re supporting wildlife, protecting historic sites and more. Find out about our work.

The house reflected on the lake at Croome, Worcestershire

Grants and funding 

Find out more about the funding the National Trust receives from grants, and the projects it has helped support.

Birds eye view of the kitchen garden project at Florence Court, County Fermanagh

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