Saltram East Country Park

Delivering Saltram East Country Park for a Growing Visitor Population

National Trust needed to increase public access to the Saltram Estate whilst protecting its historic character, supporting nature recovery and responding to growing visitor numbers. Nicholas Pearson Associates was commissioned to provide integrated Environmental Design services. These included Masterplanning, Ecological Impact Assessment, Ecological Surveys, and planning support.  Our role was to help deliver Saltram East Country Park. This included creating accessible recreational space and enhancing biodiversity. It also supported the wider Saltram Countryside Park Strategic Greenspace vision identified within Plymouth’s Joint Local Plan (Policy PLY54). The project needed to meet the needs of existing visitors, future residents and consultees whilst respecting the heritage significance of the estate.

Balancing Access, Heritage and Nature Recovery at Saltram East

Saltram East Country Park occupies land that contributes to the setting of one of the country’s most significant eighteenth-century landscapes. Part of the proposed country park lies within the Grade II* Registered Park and Garden, whilst adjacent areas form part of the essential setting of the wider estate.

The project needed to balance increased public access and nature recovery with the conservation of a nationally important historic landscape. This was a key requirement of the design process. It also needed to respond to housing growth around Plymouth, support wider green infrastructure objectives and help manage increasing visitor pressures across the estate whilst maintaining its distinctive character and significance.

Integrating Landscape Architecture, Ecology and Heritage Expertise

Our integrated environmental design approach combined landscape architecture and ecology throughout the design process. We prepared a biodiversity baseline, undertook a spatial audit and completed ecological assessment work to inform the developing proposals. This created a shared evidence base that informed both the landscape design and ecological strategy for the site. As a result, decisions could be tested against environmental and heritage objectives throughout the design process.

Collaboration with Nicholas Pearson Partnership and PRM Rural Engineering Services ensured that heritage, accessibility and ecological considerations informed the evolving design proposals throughout the project. In addition, regular coordination helped maintain a consistent design approach across disciplines.

We also undertook detailed terrain analysis and spatial assessment. This helped us better understand the site’s landform, landscape character and existing ecological resources. This work identified opportunities for habitat enhancement, recreation and future management while highlighting areas that require a sensitive design response. Alongside this technical work, we prepared landscape plans, design information and supporting planning documentation. Together, these assessments established a robust evidence base for the evolving proposals.

Working alongside PRM Rural Engineering Services, we refined the proposed trail network to create accessible recreational routes across the site. Detailed assessment of gradients and landform informed route alignment, helping to achieve inclusive access whilst minimising intervention within the existing landscape.

Historic routes and landscape features also informed the design approach, helping to strengthen connections with the wider story of the Saltram Estate. Our ecological specialists supported the integration of habitat enhancement measures and advised on future Biodiversity Net Gain opportunities across the estate. New planting, habitat creation and land management proposals were incorporated to support biodiversity objectives alongside public access improvements.

Supporting Planning, Consultation and Long-Term Estate Management

The project required ongoing engagement with Plymouth City Council, Historic England, and Devon Gardens Trust alongside the wider design team. Throughout the project, our assessments, design information and landscape plans supported discussions throughout the planning and pre-application process.

As a related commission, we prepared an illustrative Future Saltram masterplan to communicate longer-term ambitions for conservation, restoration and managed development across the wider estate. Working closely with National Trust, the masterplan brought together conservation, restoration and managed development proposals within a single visual framework for the estate.

The masterplan supported engagement activities and communicated the long-term vision for the estate. It showed how biodiversity enhancement, heritage conservation, public access improvements and estate management initiatives could be delivered through a coordinated approach. This, in turn, provided a clear basis for discussions with consultees, stakeholders and members of the public throughout the development of the proposals.

Planning Permission Secured for Saltram East Country Park

Planning permission for Saltram East Country Park was secured in March 2025. The approved proposals support the creation of new recreational opportunities, improved accessibility and biodiversity enhancement within the wider Saltram Estate.

Through our integrated environmental design approach, we helped realise the National Trust’s vision for the site. The approved country park balances historic influences, ecological sensitivities, landscape vision and community needs. The project demonstrates how masterplanning through landscape architecture and ecology can support the delivery of sensitive and well-coordinated change within nationally important historic landscapes.

Please contact us to discuss how our team can help you with your next project.