Starting work on installing a new wildlife pool on Dartmoor has been an exciting milestone for us. Before breaking ground, we navigated a detailed planning process with Dartmoor National Park Authority, ensuring the design aligned with local landscape character, ecological sensitivity, and heritage considerations. Alongside this, we worked through the new Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements, providing evidence that the project would deliver measurable ecological improvements. From habitat creation to long-term management planning, the paperwork and assessments were thorough—but ultimately rewarding, knowing the finished pool will support amphibians, insects, birds, and a richer mosaic of wetland life.
With permissions in place, we mobilised our Caterpillar excavator along with a dumper to the site and began shaping the land in preparation for the new wildlife lake. The open field offered the perfect canvas, and the first days focused on careful excavation, contouring, and managing spoil to create naturalistic slopes and varied depths. Working on Dartmoor always brings its own unique challenges—from weather to ground conditions—but seeing the pool’s form begin to emerge has made all the preparation worthwhile. This project marks the start of a long-term habitat enhancement that will bring lasting benefits to the landscape.
