Elf Hills - woodland creation and access to the outdoors
Following the retirement of the tenant at Elf Hills Farm on the Wallington Estate, an application has been made to the Forestry Commission to create a new woodland using the English Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)* funded by Government through the Nature for Climate Fund. If successful, the hope is to create a new woodland, open up walks and cycle trails to the public and help restore nature.
Why are we doing this?
The National Trust is committed to halting the decline in nature and mitigating the harmful impacts of climate change. Restoring nature across all our land is a fundamental aim of the National Trust’s new 10-year strategy. Here at Wallington, we have set ambitious targets, which will contribute to achieving these national aims. By 2030, we will plant a million new trees across Wallington, in woodland and hedgerows, which will increase habitat connectivity, and make space for wildlife to thrive. New tree planting will support key woodland birds, red squirrel and pine marten and will also help mitigate the ongoing effects of climate change by storing carbon and slowing down water.
We'll also see a reduction in flood risk in the Walled Garden during storm events, as the trees planted and wetlands created will hold water back along the Middleton Burn, reducing the possibility of damage to this historic and much-loved feature of Wallington's visitor offer.
While restoring nature is one key aim, another is allowing everyone to have access and enjoyment of nature too. If successful Elf Hills will form part of an expanding recreational network linking the main visitor area at Wallington, with walking and cycling trails.
Elf Hills is just one piece of the bigger picture to make improvements for nature and people across the whole of the Wallington Estate and beyond our boundaries, working alongside tenant farmers, and collaborating with neighbours and partners. Find out more about Wilder Wallington
What changes will I see at Elf Hills?
Elf Hills has been managed as a livestock farm with a mosaic of grazing pastures, old hedgerows and existing woodlands. Public access is currently very limited. The EWCO application will see the creation of 109 hectares of new woodland with multiple trails and open public access. Over the remaining land we are committed to exploring opportunities for enhancement of existing habitats such as woods and hedgerows as well as creating new species rich meadows and wetlands.
What are the timescales?
If successful work would begin on site in mid-2026, with the first trees planted late 2026 into early 2027.
What is an England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) grant?
*The England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) is a national grant scheme administered by the Forestry Commission and funded through the Nature for Climate Fund. The grant encourages investment in the creation and long-term management of woodlands.