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Welcome to the Autumn/Winter 2025 edition
Higher Ground
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Welcome to this edition of Higher Ground, this newsletter is a big one! We have everything from planning updates, the arts and pesky invasive plants found along our Chalk Streams!
We hope you enjoy our quarterly update and remember to get in touch if you have any questions or visit our website.
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New Woodland Creation
The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service are happy to announce a new woodland to be created on the edge of the Wolds. We are working closely with Forestry England to get this project off the ground. The woodland will be situated at a 252 acre (102 hectare) site near the village of Hagworthingham.
Forestry England said that Lincolnshire is one of the least wooded places in England, with 4% of land area covered by trees.
Paddy Harrop, forest management director at Forestry England, said: "This is another exciting step in our work to create beautiful and resilient woodlands across Lincolnshire.
"The new woodland is on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, which already offer fantastic habitat for wildlife and ample green space to help people connect with nature."
He added: "The new site near Hagworthingham will bring lasting benefits for local people, nature, and the wider environment, helping to absorb carbon and, in time, produce sustainable timber."
You can have your say on the new woodland at - Early engagement Hagworthingham - Forestry Commission - Citizen Space
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The Lincolnshire Wolds Grant Scheme
The grant scheme is now closed due to high demand from this years funding pot! Please check back in the Spring and good luck to all that have applied.
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Farming in Protected Landscapes
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Farm visit to look at where our food comes from, with Farmer Andrew and The Country Trust.
The Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) Programme still has funding for one-off projects which deliver on the themes of Climate, Nature, People and Place. Funding is available for projects that deliver against the 4 FiPL themes and which can be completed, and grant claimed, by the 23rd March 2026.
There has already been a substantial call on the grant programme, but up to £60,000 remains to be allocated for projects. Each application is capped at a maximum of £50,000 although multiple applications can be made where appropriate.
Further information:
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Mud & Stud Project 2026 - 2028
Lincolnshire County Council's & Historic England
A new Mud and Stud project will start in 2026 to identify and map all known Mud and Stud buildings over Lincolnshire, including the Lincolnshire Wolds. We will be working closely with Historic England and Lincolnshire County Councils Historic Places team to make sure all our Wolds historic Mud and Stud buildings are recorded.
Project overview - Aims & Outcomes -
- County-wide survey of mud and stud buildings: identify and map all known and possible sites.
- HER (Historic Environment Record) enhancement: Establishing a consistent approach to recording mud and stud-buildings across Lincolnshire by developing a HER-compatible digital recording template and proposing a typology addition to the FISH (Forum on Information Standards in Heritage) thesaurus.
- Community engagement workshops with local groups (e.g, parish councils) to share data, build a practical understanding of mud and stud and foster pride in local heritage.
- Final report and symposium sharing results. A final report will summarise the project’s methods, findings, and recommendations, including examples suitable for further research. It will provide a foundation for planning advice, conservation strategy and future engagement.
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Internal wall showing degraded timber frame and daub loss.
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Stage 1 Delivery: Method & Structure
Desk-based review of Historic Environment Records, maps and archives.
Identify likely mud and stud buildings using existing records, historic maps and aerial imagery.
Field survey to Historic England Level 1 standard.
Visit each site to confirm and record what survives – quick consistent and non-intrusive.
Digital form records condition (‘poor-good’).
Capture details and photographs on site using a standardised digital form.
3-4 sites per day over 140 survey days.
Efficient, systematic coverage across the study area to build a comprehensive dataset.
We look forward to seeing the project progress over the coming years!
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Nature Calling - That's A Wrap!
Arts project Nature Calling has now come to an end. Shelf-life, created by INSTAR artists Trish Evans and Nick Humphreys, is a series of nine temporary billboard artworks placed within the working landscape of the Lincolnshire Wolds—one of the UK’s most intensely farmed regions.
Designed in the style of retail advertising, with phrases like “Everything for Less” and “Clearance,” the billboards highlight environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and the pressures facing farmers. Rather than accusing, the artworks ask: Are we selling out nature? and How can land, farming, and nature thrive together again? The project sparked valuable conversations with farmers about the challenges they face and the cost of restoring nature.
INSTAR also collaborated with local secondary schools, teaching over 70 students traditional printmaking techniques. Some students used their prints for GCSE coursework. INSTAR then created nine species-based artworks for smaller billboards, each incorporating elements from every student’s print. These billboards toured the Wolds and surrounding areas in Summer 2025, visiting 12 locations and reaching nearly 25,000 people online and in person.
You can now view the touring billboards at the Sea View Colonnade, Sutton On Sea where they will be on exhibition until early Spring 2026.
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Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project & Environment Agency
Himalayan Balsam Project
Since 2022, the Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project (LCSP), in partnership with the Environment Agency (EA), has been working to tackle the invasive plant, Himalayan balsam, along the River Waring - one of Lincolnshire’s rare chalk streams. Supported and funded by the EA, LCSP staff developed a comprehensive plan to survey, map, and reduce the spread of Himalayan balsam along the river.
Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is an invasive non-native species, originally brought from the Himalayas to the UK as a garden plant. It quickly spread along waterways and damp ground. This annual plant can grow up to 2.5 metres tall and produces pink, purple, or occasionally white flowers. It overshadows native species and draws pollinators away from them. Unlike native plants, its shallow roots do not stabilise the soil, so when the balsam dies back in winter, riverbanks are left vulnerable to erosion. This leads to increased sediment in the stream, raising the riverbed and smothering vital in-stream plant life, which is essential for the delicate chalk stream ecosystem.
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With the support of local landowners, the River Waring was surveyed in 2022 to establish baseline data on the distribution of Himalayan balsam. This information formed the foundation for an effective removal strategy.
In 2023, 2024, and 2025, contractors from Lions Environmental Ltd were engaged to spot-spray and pull the balsam, guided by the 2022 survey map. To involve the local community, a volunteer ‘balsam bash’ day was organised each year, encouraging people to help remove the plants before they could set seed. Care was taken to ensure that removal efforts targeted the plants before seeding, to prevent further spread.
A follow-up survey in 2025 revealed a 63% reduction in Himalayan balsam, with some areas showing up to a 90% decrease compared to the 2022 data. The LCSP and EA extend their thanks to the landowners for granting access and to the volunteers for their ongoing commitment to managing non-native species.
This project has established a proven methodology for reducing Himalayan balsam. While further work is needed to eliminate it completely from the River Waring, there is hope that future resources will allow continued efforts to protect Lincolnshire’s chalk streams.
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Planning Development Updates
National Grid Grimsby to Walpole pylons, Eastern Green Link 3, 4 & 5 underground cables and SSE Renewable's Ossian project.
We are engaging and regularly meeting with the National Grid and other developers who are proposing Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP’s) in our area, to understand and prevent any potential harmful effects on the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape. We are also assessing the possibilities of creating landscape and community projects which may help to alleviate some of the negative impacts from these proposed schemes.
North Ray Solar Project, Ludborough
In addition to these schemes, the North Ray 1 solar project is proposed near Ludborough and is within the setting of the Lincolnshire Wolds. Due to changes in the planning system, which take effect at the end of this year, this scheme will be examined by East Lindsey District Council. The planning application is expected to be submitted in the early part of 2026 at which point the Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service will be consulted by the Local Authority.
Biscathorpe
The appeal decision was quashed in the Supreme Court and so a public inquiry is now being held on Tuesday 14th April 2026 and 10:00am at the Kenwick Hotel, Kenwick Park, Louth, by the Planning Inspectorate. The inquiry is scheduled for the 14th to the 17th of April with further days in reserve. The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service have continued to object to these proposals. We are submitting a further response to the Planning Inspectorate for this inquiry.
Other Planning Updates
We are starting to compile information on developing a Design Guide for the Lincolnshire Wolds. This future guide would describe and recommend design choices for householders, developers and planners which reflect the built and landscape features and characteristics in and around the Wolds. It will be a practical, user-friendly document which is easy to access and offers a real toolkit to help people make the right design and landscape choices for their planning proposals.
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Dark Skies
We are investigating how we protect and enhance our Dark Skies across the Wolds. Light pollution is on the increase, with night-time, insects and wildlife being severely affected. The wrong lighting also has a negative impact on human health and well-being. We are working with other National Landscapes across the country, National Parks and Dark Sky International and Dark Sky UK to promote and protect the dark skies of the Wolds.
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Northumberland National Park - Walltown Craggs Milky-Way
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Solstice Stories
Join with the Beautiful Burial Grounds fantastic Autumn webinar series as it comes to a seasonal end on Tuesday 16th December with Solstice Stories from our favourite South Shropshire storyteller Amy Douglas from 2pm to 3pm.
Midwinter is a time for magic and miracles. Though the days are short and the nights are long, the stars are bright and even, or perhaps especially, in times of hunger and cold, there is hope in the darkness. Humans huddle by the fire while the land dreams and the long nights are the time for stories.
Amy won Young Storyteller of the Year at the age of 16 and has since gone on to expand her repertoire with podcasts, zoom storytelling talk shows, books, stories for children and adults and musings on why storytelling is important and what it can offer.
You can click here to book free of charge, and the webinar will be available to anyone who registers for a week afterwards to catch up at a time that suits them.
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Christmas Market Town Events
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West Lindsey Christmas Markets
Gainsborough
- Marshall's Yard Festive Fayre:
- Date: Saturday, November 29 - Sunday, November 30, 2025
- Time: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Details: Includes handmade gifts, live entertainment, face painting, and Santa's Grotto.
https://www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/events/festive-christmas-market
- Market Place Christmas Farmers' Market:
- Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025
- Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
- Details: Features local produce, handmade gifts, and appearances from Santa and Rodney. There will also be carols around the tree at 11:30 am.
Other areas in West Lindsey
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Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year from the team at the Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service and the Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project.
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