Allestree Community Conversations

And, they want to see a gentle, natural approach with only light-touch interventions such as improving the diversity of wildflowers, increasing the number of fruiting trees, allowing the long grasses to grow and improving the site for pollinators.

Enabling a decrease in carbon emissions and increase in carbon storage, and allowing nature to lead nature’s recovery. However, they do not want the park to become untidy and inaccessible, they want to still be able to walk easily along maintained paths and for the grass around benches to be kept short, and they want to keep shorter grassed areas for sledging and ball games.

When habitats have recovered and evolved and want us to give some species a helping hand through species reintroductions, especially if they can help through Citizen Science projects where the public participate in a variety of monitoring programmes. They are passionate that the whole site becomes designated as a nature reserve to join the already nature-rich reserve around the edges.

They want to be a part of monitoring the changes in the park and they want to help make those changes happen through a range of volunteering opportunities.

As a place for indoor refreshments and improved accessible toilet facilities, community spaces, local enterprise opportunities and community growing.  

For school visits and visitors is popular as well as improved mobile refreshment provision. 

Accommodating electric cars and bikes, but they don’t want to see it extended and they want it to remain free. 

Improved and safe access to the park by bus, on foot and bike was championed as was improved multiuser access around the park. 

And love the idea of Nature Tots, Junior Rangers and Wild Schools programmes. They also support the creation of a dedicated pond dipping pond being created for the Friends of Allestree Park to deliver their highly popular events. They want to see a nature trail for all ages, and a natural play area.  

As part of the community conversations, there has also been some interest in other ideas and facilities including grazing, general cycling, a bespoke bike track and horse riding.  

While there is an important role for cattle in managing grasslands and meadows, the rewilding partners acknowledge that for now it is only appropriate to continue with the existing cattle grazing project in fenced fields, and will monitor the grasslands and natural regeneration over the next couple of years to help evaluate how best to manage these areas for nature in the future.

These are not part of the Community Rewilding Project at Allestree Park, and the rewilding partnership does not feel it appropriate to progress them further at this time.

Derby City Council will carry out a feasibility study to make the site more accessible for all including pushchair and wheelchair users and cyclists including children learning to ride, to ensure the space is accessible and inclusive, and to encourage green and active transport.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust are committed to delivering inclusive and equitable practices throughout all that we do including within our projects and programmes. We wholeheartedly believe that nature is everyone’s to benefit from, to thrive within and to enhance and enjoy. We are always learning and reflecting, which is an essential part of who we are as a Trust because we know our communities and wildlife requires us to listen, learn and act. We do this for the benefit of people and nature.

Throughout spring and summer of 2023 we held ‘community conversations’, discussions with the local community, people who use the park, and residents right across the city. With these, we are starting to get a real sense of what community rewilding means to the people who love Allestree Park.   

From the feedback we have received it is clear that community rewilding means different things to different people. The view we have heard most is that many people are really passionate about rewilding and nature and that they want to see a gentle, natural approach with only light-touch interventions such as improving the diversity of wildflowers and letting swathes of long grasslands grow, much like what is happening right now. 

There have been well thought through proposals submitted for new facilities but based on feedback, we do not believe now is the right time for new infrastructure. It is important to let nature lead the way and see what emerges, and of course, the community can review this in the future. 

Many people have shared concerns about extending the existing cattle grazing across the park. While there is an important role for cattle in managing grasslands and meadows, we acknowledge that this is not appropriate for Allestree Park right now and there are no longer any plans to fence the perimeter. 

As Allestree Park starts to become wilder over the months and years, there are other ideas to explore, such as small natural play areas, and perhaps reintroducing species like grasshoppers or water voles, but we want to do more listening to find out exactly what people want from this special place first. 

We are still getting a huge amount of feedback, and we want to continue to better understand everyone’s thoughts and ideas. We had originally planned to release a draft masterplan – but instead, we want to carry on the conversation, recognising that nature is ‘doing its thing’ and there is no call for changes right now. We are going to spend the months ahead widening our community conversations approach. We will keep collecting your ideas and feedback to shape a park that everyone can enjoy and feel proud of. 

We continue to explore some of the research, feedback and outcomes to date, and we will keep adding more events to the consultation programme. Our online feedback form will also remain open (link below).  This is a really important project, so we want to get it right – this approach puts people at the heart, as much as nature.