Walk no 6 – 11 September 2026

We walked a circular route from Quenington along the River Coln, followed by tea, cakes and a discussion at Quenington Village Hall, hosted by the Ernest Cook Trust (the Trust).  Our theme was New lives, New landscapes.

It was a bright September afternoon; the parched-up beech trees would be yellowing soon; the yellow flowers grown deeper with the sun were letting fall their petals one by one ….  William Morris

The landscape was looking pleasingly green as we gathered at Quenington for our sixth walk.  The intense heat of the summer was gone, we’d had enough rain to begin to address the long drought, and we enjoyed the warmth of the sun as we were welcomed by Michael Birnie from the Trust and set off along the River Coln from the Trust’s Court Farm office.

Our first stop was to hear from local tenant farmers Sophie (daughter) and Jeremy (father) about their tenancy of two farms from the Trust.  They run a mixed, regenerative farming business with three main enterprises:  poultry, providing M&S with chicken; a 450-strong herd of Stabilisers, a composite breed comprised of 25% Hereford, Angus, Simmental and Gelbvieh which produces high quality beef, and an arable business including contract services for nearby farms.  Grazing is managed on a ‘mob’ basis (moving cattle frequently) on herbal leys, supported by an SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive) scheme.  They are building soil quality and developing a resilient, environmentally sound business.  We admired their vision and determination to optimise production and environmental outcomes.

Moving on alongside the quiet, clear river we stopped to hear from Joe, who is The Trust’s conservation and woodland manager.  Woods are managed in-house, and comprise c10% of the Fairford estate, and he was proud to tell us that the Trust has just agreed a new Woodland Management Plan, seeking to optimise the multiple goals they have for woodland:  access, conservation, education and timber production to name four.  The woodlands around us exhibited some of the challenges they face: climate change, after a long and exceptionally hot and dry summer; pests and diseases, especially ash die-back; and tree safety given the high levels of public access.  Though ash die-back is a worry, dead and dying trees make great habitat and are usually left in place.  We enjoyed hearing about horse logging to avoid compaction of the soil, and learning about the various woodland management techniques employed by the Trust.

Our third stop was to hear from Claire about the river (sadly the River Keeper could not be with us).  The 2.6 miles of river owned by the Trust are a critical resource, and the Trust has worked with local tenants to develop a catchment management plan with the aim of restoring the river and benefiting nature and education.  The upper reaches of the river are sinuous, but as it approaches Fairford it had been canalised in the Victorian era and a lake (Broad Water) created for the amenity of Fairford Park House.  Under the plan, the aim has been to diversify the flow and encourage natural spawning grounds for trout.  This has been helped by Harry the horse harrowing the river bed! The fishing syndicate no longer artificially stocks the river, and is sympathetic to the Trust’s aims.  As a result fish numbers (including grayling) are increasing and overall river health is improving.  Water quality in this stretch of the river is good; though fish suffer if the water gets above 20 degrees C as it did this summer.

Walking back, we admired the beautiful landscape and abundant hedgerows.  The Trust’s goals of multi-functional outcomes, achieved through collaboration with their tenants, were clear to see.

Arriving at Quenington Village Hall we had a welcome cup of tea and cakes before Michael spoke in more detail about the Trust’s history, purposes and ways of working.  Ernest Cook believed in positive change, and the Trust’s record of seeking sustainable land management, and generating income through appropriate development was what generated the endowment to support its charitable objectives of ‘education grounded in the land’.  Too often, land uses are seen as competing, whereas the Trust aimed to optimise outcomes and find positive, high quality solutions.

Our theme today was New Lives, New Landscapes, recognising that the countryside was experiencing a significant time of change and uncertainty, with intense pressures on farmers; and demands for land for new housing, energy and transport infrastructure.  Cotswold District Council (CDC) had recently announced in principle the places where new housing would be built, largely avoiding the Cotswolds National Landscape (CNL) and putting pressure on places like Fairford.  The Trust as a major local landowner has responded to CDC through the current consultation and agreed to be a partner in the provision of land for new communities, as it had done in Fairford Leys (Aylesbury) and in other locations.

Our discussion began with a focus on farming:  what did non farmers feel about the pressures on farming?  The response was universally sympathetic, recognising that there was a lack of clarity from Government about what it wanted from farmers (unlike the post war period) and new financial pressures in the form of cuts to public subsidies, uncertain environmental incentives and the reintroduction of Inheritance Tax.  Jeremy Clarkson had probably been the best thing to happen to farming!  However some of the farmers pointed out that bigger changes were to come with grain production in the Cotswolds becoming increasingly unviable and major challenges with the lack of water, exacerbated by this summer’s drought.  The benefits of on-farm reservoirs were discussed, and the need (as we’d seen on the Coln) to make rivers healthy again.   We heard that more grants were available to help farmers in CNL and that people on its fringes would not be excluded from exploring possible help.

There was a brief reference to new forms of energy supply, especially solar farms – which the Trust is exploring, especially where dual use of land is possible such as grazing under panels.  There was also support for local energy solutions rather than ‘big’ infrastructure.  But most of the conversation focused on new housing, which is a live and concerning issue for the locality.  Housing allocations have been made for individual villages, such as Hatherop (15) and Quenington (47) but larger numbers are proposed for Driffield (1090), Down Ampney (1658) and Fairford (1141).  Concerns were expressed about the inadequacy of the existing infrastructure (including water and sewage) to cope with these and the lack of confidence that new infrastructure would be provided.   Roz Savage MP had already written to the Prime Minister on this subject.

Michael Vann, the CDC Councillor for Fairford, explained that the Council had little choice in the matter:  the Government imposed targets and only 16% of the CDC area was outside the CNL.  Unplanned developments in and around Fairford in the past illustrated the problem:  it was vital that there was an agreed Local Plan to get better outcomes in the future.

Fears expressed included the lack of consultation, the impact of large new developments on existing communities, the damage to wildlife and nature, and the lack of affordable or accessible housing.  Yet it was recognised that we could not ignore the need for some new housing.

It was known that the Trust had put itself forward as a possible provider of land for some of the housing proposed for Fairford, and there were mixed views about this.  People did not feel well consulted, and feared that the places proposed for development would inevitably impact negatively on landscape quality and wildlife.  Questions were asked about the Trust’s approach to its whole portfolio of housing, including rental properties; and how it would mitigate the impact.  Michael understood the concerns but believed the Trust’s record showed that it would do things well, with consideration, over a long period of time.  He would ensure people’s concerns were considered and responded to.

The importance of an up to date Local Plan and neighbourhood plans was debated, with one participant encouraging villages to be proactive about this, and develop their own plan showing what they valued and must be protected and where new development could go, to shape the future rather than being a victim of externally imposed decisions.   Neighbourhood Plans could qualify for a higher level of the Community Infrastructure Levy and it was pointed out that there were funds to help develop these.

Though these issues were challenging, the opportunity to be proactive, to engage people in discussions about the future and to work at the local level – as we heard Quenington was doing, to ensure that new housing would not swamp local sewage capacity – to find solutions was universally welcomed.  Our landscapes are going to change, and we need to ensure that the places we love and cherish absorb change and meet the needs of the future in the best way possible.

We concluded with warm thanks to the Trust’s team for hosting us and the High Sheriff’s team for another wonderful walk.