West Northamptonshire's first nature recovery strategy publishes on 24 September: 58 species to save, a beaver feasibility study and 124 practical actions.

West Northamptonshire will investigate bringing beavers back to its rivers. The feasibility study is one of 124 practical actions in the district’s first Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which Cabinet approved on 15 September and which the council intends to publish in full on Wednesday 24 September. (West Northamptonshire Council, 18 September 2026)

The strategy is required by the Environment Act 2021, and the council has been the responsible authority for producing it since June 2023. We have read the full 120-page document from the Cabinet papers, and it is considerably more candid, and more interesting, than the press release.

The uncomfortable numbers the strategy owns up to

The document describes West Northamptonshire as “one of England’s most nature-depleted areas”, and backs that with figures:

  • Only 4.6% of the district is designated for wildlife, one of the lowest proportions in the UK
  • Tree canopy covers about 9% of the area, against a national baseline of almost 15%
  • Grassland and wetland habitats cover just 0.3% and 1.3% of the district respectively
  • The average Local Wildlife Site is 3.9 hectares, about five and a half football pitches, below the national average of 4.6 hectares, which the strategy says is itself too small
  • Of the district’s 138,000 hectares, 6,195 hectares is priority habitat, and 75% of its designated sites are Local Wildlife Sites, the lowest level of protection

There is better news in the condition of what remains. Some 90% of the district’s 22 Sites of Special Scientific Interest are in favourable or recovering condition, and 65% of its 396 Local Wildlife Sites are in positive management, both above national averages.

The local species trends are stark. Golden plover numbers are down 76% locally and lapwings 45%, against a national curlew decline of 48%. On the other side of the ledger, otters have returned to the Nene Valley and some of the reservoirs.

Nature in West Northamptonshire, in the strategy's own numbers Only 4.6 percent of West Northamptonshire is designated for wildlife. Tree canopy is about 9 percent against a national baseline of almost 15 percent. The average Local Wildlife Site is 3.9 hectares against a national average of 4.6. The strategy names 58 important species, of which 31 are of national importance, and sets 15 priorities with 124 practical measures. Nature in West Northamptonshire, in the strategy's own numbers From the Local Nature Recovery Strategy approved by Cabinet on 15 September 2026. Land designated for wildlife 4.6% among the lowest proportions in the UK Tree canopy cover 9% national baseline: almost 15% Average Local Wildlife Site 3.9 ha national average: 4.6 ha, itself regarded as too small Important species named for action 58 of which 31 are of national importance Priorities and practical measures 15 priorities, 124 measures Priority habitat split: 63% woodland, 30% wetland, 7% grassland, across 6,195 hectares. Source: West Northamptonshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy, 2026. Graphic by The Northampton Wire.

Beavers, ospreys and bitterns: the species actions

The strategy names 58 important species for targeted action, 31 of them of national importance under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. The list runs from barn owl, skylark, turtle dove and harvest mouse on farmland to adder, hazel dormouse, nightingale and stag beetle in woodland, and swift, hedgehog and two pipistrelle bats in towns.

The freshwater list is the eye-catching one. Its bespoke measures include:

  • Investigate the suitability and feasibility of beaver reintroduction to improve riparian woodland and wetland habitats
  • Investigate the suitability and feasibility of water vole introduction
  • Create osprey platforms and common tern rafts to provide breeding sites
  • Conserve, restore and create reedbeds of sufficient size to support bitterns
  • Identify and conserve the district’s existing black poplars, and plant new ones

A feasibility study is not a release, and the strategy commits to nothing beyond the investigation. But the study is now in an adopted council strategy, with a numbered measure attached, which is how these things start.

Fifty species of bees by All Saints Church

The document’s urban chapter carries two facts about Northampton town that deserve to be better known.

Local studies found at least 50 species of bees living within 500 metres of All Saints Church in the town centre, significantly more than on nature reserves at the edge of the town. Brownfield and “open mosaic” habitat, the strategy notes, can support up to 15% of nationally rare insects.

And during building work at the University of Northampton, small-flowered catchfly germinated from disturbed ground after more than 170 years unseen in Northamptonshire. The seed had been waiting in the soil.

Swifts are the urban warning: a 66% national decline between 1995 and 2022. Three of the 15 priorities are urban, covering existing green space in and around towns, new stepping-stone habitats, and integrating nature into new developments.

What it means for you

  • If you walk a dog around the Upper Nene Valley gravel pits, expect more wardens and more “on leads” signage. The strategy funds warden support and engagement to limit disturbance in sensitive areas of the Special Protection Area, whose ground-nesting birds are easily pushed off.
  • If you are commenting on a planning application, the strategy now carries weight. It feeds into planning decisions and sets where Biodiversity Net Gain money should land: habitat work in the strategy’s mapped areas earns a 15% uplift in the biodiversity metric, which steers developer funding towards them.
  • If you own land, farm or manage a community space, the strategy’s measures are designed to be picked up by anyone, and delivery guides for different sectors accompany it. The council’s nature recovery team is at naturerecovery@westnorthants.gov.uk.
  • The full document and interactive habitat map go on the council’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy pages from 24 September.

The strategy also puts a price on what nature already does for the district: £83 million a year in benefits, with agriculture (£43m), recreation (£35m), physical health (£17m) and air quality regulation (£17m) the largest contributors.

Delivery money is thinner than the ambition. The council says it has been granted “limited funding” for the next three years, with support from Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission, and Defra will review progress in three years. Cllr Nigel Stansfield, Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Waste, said: “Our aim is to safeguard nature for generations to come, and create cleaner, greener spaces that meet the needs of local communities and offer them an opportunity to connect with nature.”

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