Environmental issues at Leckford

The Leckford Estate, Hampshire, was purchased by John Spedan Lewis of Oxford Street in 1928 as his private estate. As well as a visionary retailer, John Spedan Lewis was an accomplished naturalist with an impressive knowledge of botany, entomology and aquatic life. His personal dedication to environmental issues lives on at Leckford into the 21st century through the work of the John Spedan Lewis Trust for the Advancement of the Natural Sciences.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest at Leckford

The environmental richness and biodiversity of the estate is recognised by the designation of five Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Natural England to conserve both environmental and archaeological sites. The Estate actively manages the sites to ensure their environmental uniqueness is maintained, from reed bed cutting to maintenance of water meadow biodiversity to management of riverine woodland.

Minimum environmental impact and maximum environmental gain

In addition to safeguarding the local environment, both in the SSSIs and across the whole farm, the estate runs many initiatives to ensure our impact on the environment is minimised and indeed environmental gain is achieved. Initiatives range from growing energy crops and following all the best practices for recycling and waste minimisation, to the use of renewable energy sources eg small windmills and solar panels powering the chicken sheds and recycling mushroom compost on our arable crops.

For more information

For more details of Sites of Special Scientific Interest visit:

www.english-nature.org.uk/Special/sssi/
(This link opens a new window)