“It’s a dream come true!” Meet the farmer helping to create our natural haven

For farmer Will Atkinson, the opportunity to help create and manage the return of 330 acres to its natural state is a dream come true.

With a family background in farming in the south and university studies in land management behind him, Will was a natural choice to help shape Halnaker Hill Farm’s transformation from ntensively farmed land into a haven for biodiversity.

In his role as Agri-Environment Consultant for the project, Will works closely with the landowner and expert ecologists to translate their vision into reality, overseeing the running of the farm with its commercial and environmental objectives in mind.

“To be able to plan a farm from scratch is a dream come true for a farmer,” says Will. “Most farms develop generation after generation, and you are evolving what’s already there.

“Here, it was a case of having a blank canvas – and just going for it! It all starts out with a computer screen and a map, and walking the farm, planning, tweaking over several months and then you’re at the point where you can get it out onto the ground.

“Then it’s a case of being organised, and depending upon the right contractors. It’s a team effort and you have to place trust in people – you can’t micromanage everyone. You give them a plan, they follow the plan, and then you go back and check that it’s all gone to plan!”

Will’s ambition is for Halnaker Hill Farm to set the benchmark for BNG projects – to lead by example.

“I'd like the farm to be a case study demonstrating that you can still do agriculture but also create the wildlife and the re-naturing benefits,” he says.

“What comes first here is the re-naturing, and not all farmers will be able to go to the extremes we are here. Of course, we've got to have areas of the world that can produce good yields of crops.

“But here this is all grade three land, it’s poor, not particularly good yielding. It’s right that it’s going back to chalk hill grassland – it’s all about trying to show that we can do the right things in the right places.”

Will has already seen a drastic change in the landscape since he started planning at Halnaker Hill Farm in early 2024 – trees and hedgerows are starting to grow, sheep have been reintroduced to the land, and a multitude of insects and birds have returned.

It’s now a case of building upon a very positive start to make sure the site meets its BNG aims and provides lasting biodiversity value.

“Everything we have set up here will develop,” he says. “It will be about managing livestock and grass to get the best results. The transformation in just a year has been amazing – it’s so exciting to think about what’s to come.”

‍