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Kingsbrook Meadows approved to connect visitors with nature
An exciting new site will offer extensive natural greenspace and a sanctuary for residents and visitors.
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Putting people at the heart of nature
Plans to create a new 250-acre nature-based visitor attraction and greenspace in Buckinghamshire have taken a step forward this week as plans have been approved. Kingsbrook Meadows will be equivalent to around 140 full-size football pitches and will be eventually run by the RSPB.
A core aim of the exciting new site is to put people at the heart of nature, to offer a place where anyone and everyone can enjoy the natural world. Kingsbrook Meadows will offer extensive natural greenspace and will encourage residents and visitors to help with the creation of woodlands and wetlands, allowing them to explore the wildlife as it develops, enjoying the health and wellbeing benefits of the natural world.
The creation of Kingsbrook Meadows is the result of a longstanding partnership between the RSPB, Barratt David Wilson Homes (now Barratt Redrow) and Buckinghamshire Council, who have been working together for the past 10 years at the flagship Kingsbrook development to demonstrating how new housing developments can work with nature to provide homes for wildlife and be of benefit to the people who come to live there.
Martin Randall, Operations Director, RSPB, said
We’re delighted to have reached this important milestone in the creation of an exciting new nature inspired visitor destination which will be a welcoming place for all. Nature is for everyone, and we want this ethos to be at the heart of Kingsbrook Meadows, with all the social, health and wellbeing benefits that brings. “We are very much looking forward to work getting underway in the coming months and sharing more information about the exciting developments. As work progresses, there’ll be plenty of opportunities for people to get involved and find out more along the way.
Cllr. Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Planning, Buckinghamshire Council
Buckinghamshire is a beautiful, nature rich county, and it’s important we protect it as best we can whilst also doing our bit to meet the government’s new housing targets. Kingsbrook Meadows is a great example of how by working together, collaboratively with like-minded strategic partners, sustainable development can be achieved.”
Providing homes for wildlife and people
The new community at Kingsbrook can enjoy living among wildlife-friendly features such as Hedgehog highways, bat and Swift nest boxes and planting for pollinators and other insects in verges and meadows. New orchards and native trees grow around the homes, and wetlands have been created for wildlife.
Work on Kingsbrook Meadows is set to start in Spring 2026 and will open in three phases. The final phase, due for completion in 2028, will see the opening of a visitor centre, café and shop, with accessibility at the forefront of its design. There will also be a dedicated car park on-site. Once completed, ownership will be given to the RSPB, adding to the 220 existing UK sites already managed for nature.
More than half of the new park will be designated as Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) – designated green space for the public to enjoy. Kingsbrook Meadows will offer more accessible alternatives and ease pressures from visitors and dog-walkers on nearby existing conservation areas such as Ashbridge Commons and Woods within the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation.
Cllr. Carl Jackson, Cabinet Member for Environment, Buckinghamshire Council
Kingsbrook Meadows will provide a sanctuary to those who enjoy the natural environment, providing a great place to walk, exercise, explore, and walk the dog. This site has been designed to benefit residents and visitors; while protecting local wildlife and will be a destination location that Buckinghamshire can be proud of."
Jo Alden, Project Director at Barratt David Wilson North Thames
Approval for Kingsbrook Meadows is fantastic news for both residents at Kingsbrook, and the wider community and we are excited to start work. This opportunity shows the power of partnership and has only become a reality because Barratt David Wilson, Buckinghamshire Council and the RSPB all share the same values. Once again, we are proving that new homes and nature can work together through collaboration, with strategic and well thought out placemaking.”