Following a successful community day at Wild Aldhurst, Sizewell C head of ecology Steve Mannings outlines how the project is enhancing local habitats.
Last weekend’s community day at Wild Aldhurst nature reserve in Leiston showcased what can be achieved when nature is given the space, commitment, and investment it deserves.
Dozens of visitors explored the 166-acre reserve, joined workshops, and saw first-hand its transformation over the past decade.
They learned from specialists, discovered species-rich habitats, and heard how careful management is helping biodiversity flourish.
With wetlands, grassland, heathland, and woodland, Wild Aldhurst is becoming an increasingly important haven for wildlife.
Visitors saw water parsnip and wild carrot attracting butterflies, bees, and hoverflies, while marsh harriers hunted over reedbeds and breeding skylarks provided a constant soundtrack.
READ MORE: How Sizewell C is reviving Suffolk’s Sandlings habitat
On the normally closed inner reserve, guests also saw fish ladders supporting critically endangered European eels, which are now thriving on site.
Wild Aldhurst reflects a key principle at the heart of our project: that major infrastructure and nature can go hand in hand when environmental improvements are designed from the outset.
That commitment will soon reach another milestone with the opening of Wild Studio later this year.
Work began there in 2010, and the reserve now features a mosaic of dry grassland, heathland, and scrub habitats.
Visitors will soon be able to walk from Sizewell around Wild Studio and across Sizewell Marshes SSSI to Kenton Hills, linking some of East Suffolk’s most important and much-loved local landscapes.
We recognise that construction projects have environmental impacts and that there has been concern locally about unavoidable tree felling.
A total of 21,822 trees, mainly non-native conifers, have been removed to make way for the Sizewell C construction site.
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Every tree was inspected by ecologists beforehand and strict protocols were followed to protect wildlife.
Almost 97% of the trees felled at Sizewell were assessed as being of low ecological value, with impacts compensated through measures such as installing bat boxes in suitable nearby woodland.
Tree clearance for off-site infrastructure is also now largely complete, with around 900 trees felled by the end of 2025.
Most were native but immature and of limited ecological value – although some mature trees, including the oaks at Friday Street roundabout, were unavoidably removed.
Landscape planting for off-site infrastructure will begin in the coming months, supported by five years of aftercare.
Overall, we will plant 10 times more trees and three times more hedgerows than are being removed.
More than 26,000 native trees and shrubs have already been planted around the main construction site, with a further 50,000 to 100,000 due to be planted when the Temporary Construction Area is restored to nature.
This will connect the three reserves already created at Sizewell with designated sites such as RSPB Minsmere and Sizewell Marshes SSSI.
Our ambition is not simply to replace what has been removed, but to leave nature in a measurably better condition than before.
Sizewell C is expected to deliver at least a 19% biodiversity net gain, with new analysis suggesting this could be closer to 40% when habitat connectivity is taken into account.
Alongside this, Sizewell C has established a £10m Natural Environment Improvement Fund (NEIF) to mitigate impacts within the Suffolk and Essex Coast and Heaths National Landscape and Heritage Coast.
We have also established the East Suffolk Trust, an independent environmental grant-giving charity backed by at least £78m from the project to help make East Suffolk one of England’s most ecologically diverse and resilient areas.
Together, these initiatives will create a lasting legacy that strengthens local landscapes, supports wildlife, and inspires future generations to value and protect nature.
For more information, visit sizewellc.com
This article is part of the EDP's Clean & Green campaign, which aims to promote our region as the biggest in the UK and Europe for all forms of renewable energy.
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