The Sandilands reserve has officially opened after a six-year programme of planning, consultation, extensive landscaping and habitat creation.
The site now includes a network of newly established wetlands and extensive planting, accessible boardwalks, trails and visitor facilities, including a cafe, more car parking, changing place facilities, and a community space.
Newark-based practice Influence Landscape Planning & Design acted as lead consultant and landscape architects for the National Trust, helping transform the 30-hectare site from a landscape once dominated by fairways into a mosaic of wetlands, grassland and coastal scrub designed to help wildlife and nature thrive.
Sandilands sits within the Lincolnshire Coastal Country Park and forms part of the internationally important East Coast Flyway, one of Europe's major migration routes. Every year, thousands of birds travel along the UK's east coast between the Arctic and northern European breeding grounds and wintering areas further south.
Shona Hatton, director at Influence Landscape Planning & Design, said: "The opening of Sandilands Nature Reserve marks an exciting milestone, not only for the National Trust but for everyone who has contributed to bringing this ambitious vision to life. We are incredibly proud to have worked alongside the National Trust and the wider consultant team to help transform a former golf course into a thriving coastal wetland reserve.
"The completion represents the culmination of years of collaborative effort. Sandilands demonstrates how thoughtful, sustainable design can create lasting benefits for wildlife, visitors and local communities, ensuring this special landscape can be enjoyed for generations to come."
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