Thousands of trees to be planted and hedges restored in 10-year project

The £200,000 Canterbury Hedge project to connect the woodland between the city of Canterbury and the coast got underway today (Thursday 23 April).

Stretching almost 12 miles (or 20km) from Yorkletts in the west to the Wantsum in the east, the project will take 10 years, see 50,000 trees planted and lost and degraded hedges restored, and connect a series of small woods with the Blean Complex.

It all kicked off with two days of activity today and next Thursday (30 April) as the city council joins forces with the Kentish Stour Community Partnership and a group of volunteers to plant 150 metres of hedgerow at Ellenden Farm near Yorkletts.

This involves the planting of 750 native trees, including oak, hawthorn and field maple, as a hedgerow.

Among the species to benefit through the Canterbury Hedge project will be:

• the Hazel Dormouse, whose population is declining at alarming rate and is classed as vulnerable
• the hedgehog
• several species of bat which use hedges to navigate
• the Great Crested Newt
• the Common Toad
• the Turtle Dove – the UK’s fastest declining bird population with 99% population decline since the 1960s

The council’s Cabinet member for environment and climate change, Cllr Mel Dawkins (pictured above at the launch event), said: “Around 118,000 miles of native hedgerow have been lost in the UK since 1950 so it is about time we did our bit to put that right.

“Planting trees and hedges like this to create a nature superhighway boosts biodiversity, restores natural habitat and creates a green network.

“It also has huge cultural value because it restores our traditional landscape.

“And it is a no brainer because it helps to store carbon and helps us in the fight to achieve net zero. Hedges are great for urban cooling.

“I hope this project will capture the imagination of the community and landowners, farmers, schools and community groups will all get on board by planting part of the hedge themselves as it weaves it way across the landscape.”

The project will also bring back the Elm tree which succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease across the UK.

Modern disease-resistant strains will be included in the hedge, providing a home for wildlife that relies on this species of tree like the rare White Letter Hairstreak butterfly, whose caterpillars feed only on elm.

Canterbury already has a tree canopy cover of 19.5%, which is above the average of 17% for Kent and Medway and 12.8% for the whole of England.

The city council is paying for the first £7,500 of the project and will be seeking money from a range of partners to progress the project in the coming years.

Tree-mendous facts

• the hedge will be 20km/12miles long, with about 50% of that being new hedges/filling in gaps in existing hedges
• 12 miles is the equivalent of the length of 2,000 double decker buses, 200 football pitches, 250,000 dormice or 44 QEII bridges
• 12 miles is the distance a hedgehog can travel in two weeks
• 12 miles is the distance between Canterbury and Ashford
• 50,000 trees is roughly the same number of trees found in Larkey Valley Wood in Chartham which is owned by Canterbury City Council

Published: 23 April 2026