The first stage of community rewilding work to transform Allestree Park into the UK’s largest urban rewilding space is set to begin, with the help of some familiar friends.

Highland cattle have been grazing in fields at the park since 2015, and as part of the vision for the Rewilding of Allestree Park, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Derby City Council will be introducing additional cattle to graze on more of the parkland.

When the project is up and running, the cattle’s moo-vements will be controlled by collars which will train them, through sound, to stay in particular areas of the park. This means their presence will not limit dog walking and other use of the park space as they will be humanely contained by a ‘virtual fence’ in a small area of the 320 acre park at any one time.

The first step is to install a small post and wire fence around the park perimeter, to provide a backup to the use of collars and additional protection for the cows from the surrounding area and roads.

Agricultural contractors will start work this month, before nesting season gets under way, ready for the fence to be installed. Disturbance of wooded and scrub covered areas will be kept to a minimum, and cut or chipped vegetation will be left behind to benefit wood decomposing fungi and invertebrates, and for nesting birds to utilise.

Much of the fence will be out of sight, and will not affect access to the park as its purpose is to provide an extra layer of security to keep the cattle in. Once it’s completed, there is potential for highland cows to be on site by the Autumn. 

The work has been made possible through the Trust’s Derwent Forest Landscape Recovery Project, which was recently awarded funding by Natural England to create connected wooded habitats (including hedges, orchards and field trees) between the Northern and National Forests, and will allow the movement of species in response to climate change. It’s the first initiative for rewilding Allestree Park following a public consultation to gather ideas about how it should be done. Continued engagement with the community is integral to the project.

Speaking about the next phase of the project, Katherine Clarke, Strategic Lead of Urban Rewilding at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said:

This is space that we want everyone to enjoy safely and be able to use, whilst making it even better for nature. Introducing more grazing cattle to Allestree Park has always been a key element of our shared vision to rewild the space at Allestree and we are delighted to be moving this exciting phase of the community rewilding project forward with our partners.

In addition to protecting the open vistas of the park for all to enjoy, introducing more grazing animals to the site will help to maintain the park’s grasslands, create a balanced ecosystem for a whole range of habitats, support carbon sequestration, and lower carbon emissions caused by alternative maintenance methods.

Councillor Jerry Pearce, Cabinet Member for Streetpride, Leisure and Public Spaces, added:

This is an excellent initiative which uses new technology to ensure we’re looking after nature in the park in the best way we can, while keeping the park an attractive and welcoming place for residents and visitors to enjoy. Allestree Park is a huge park, the biggest public green space we have in Derby, so there’s enough room for everyone, including more cattle.

Highland cows have been used for grazing different parks in Derby for many years, and are a popular sight as well as being fantastic at mowing. The new collars, which have been tried and tested in other projects in the country, mean we can introduce them to different sections of the park at different times.

Councillor Steve Hassall, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Decarbonisation and Strategic Planning and Transport, said:

By rewilding public green spaces, we're benefiting our citizens by bringing them closer to more nature, and taking a small but significant step to tackle the effects of climate change. Derby City Council is proud to be a trailblazer in the largest urban rewilding project in the UK, and working with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is a prime example of how we can achieve much more for the city by working in partnership.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is hosting a free Wild About Allestree event on Tuesday 4 April (1-3.30pm), with walks and talks available to find out more about the park and the community rewilding project. There will also be family activities and an opportunity to find out about adult volunteering. Keep an eye on Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s events page for more information.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Derby City Council and the University of Derby have come together to make Allestree Park even better for nature through community rewilding. The joint vision has been created with support from Rewilding Britain. 

More information and FAQ’s about the cattle and fencing can be found here.