Local nature reserves

Councils can declare areas of land ‘local nature reserves’ in recognition of their value to wildlife and local communities.

Giving land this status helps to protect it for habitat restoration and biodiversity while also encouraging people’s access to nature. The areas can still be used for everyday activities, such as dog walking, running and cycling.

Declaring an area as a local nature reserve usually takes around 18 months. It involves consulting with nearby communities and organisations, for example the parish or town council for the area, to see how much support there is locally.

There are currently 11 local nature reserves in our borough:

• Black Dam Ponds and Crabtree Plantation, near Old Basing
• Beggarwood Park
• The Mill Field, near Old Basing
• Popley Ponds
• Wigmore Heath, Tadley
• Chineham Woods
• Daneshill Park Woods
• Pamber Forest
• Up Nately
• Herbert Plantation, Burghclere
• Little Pen Wood, in the Highclere area

Future sites

We are continuing our efforts to declare more sites as local nature reserve, based on a priority list. In March 2026, we started an approximately 18 month process to give land at Old Down, in southern Basingstoke, this protective status. We will engage with Natural England and local communities before a decision is taken whether to make this area a local nature reserve.