Meadowland and orchards to return to estate

The land is part of the larger Weir estate

More than £600,000 is to be spent restoring meadowland, woodland and traditional orchards in Herefordshire.

Up to 65 hectares of habitat at the Weir Garden near to the River Wye is the focus of the project by the National Trust.

It is part of the larger Weir estate, where most of the farm and parkland was let to a tenant farmer, but has since come back into the care of the National Trust.

Most of the new planting and seeding will take place over the next two years and the land would continue to be monitored and cared after the completion of the project, the trust said.

The Weir Garden is an 18th Century riverside and walled garden, covering four hectares along the banks of the River Wye.

It's part of the 100 hectares that make up the Weir estate, containing parkland and farmland either side of the A438 Hereford to Hay on Wye road.

The Weir priority habitat restoration project, funded by National Highways, will involve restoring woodland and wood pasture and establishing new orchards and meadowlands, the trust said, which would create important wildlife habitats across the estate.

With more than 97% of meadows in the UK being lost over the past century, it was more important than ever to ensure these habitats were restored and protected, a trust spokesperson said.