Framework
Community
Community
Environmental
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Restoring the living spa landscape
Wildbelt exists to reconnect Harrogate with one of the fundamental parts of a spa town: the therapeutic landscape around it.
A true spa town was never only a collection of springs, baths and buildings. It was a wider landscape of water, air, walking, woodland, views, food, rest and recovery. Wildbelt brings that idea into the present, shaping a living landscape that supports people, nature and place.
Its mission is to strengthen the relationship between town and land, improving access to nature, restoring ecological connections, protecting green edges and creating new forms of shared stewardship.
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Across three bioregions — Crimple Valley, Oaksdale and Nidd Gorge — Wildbelt seeks to:
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Prevent coalescence and maintain distinct settlement identities
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Restore ecological function across degraded landscapes
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Establish walking and cycling spines that connect communities to nature
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Encourage regenerative land management and productive landscapes
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Embed long-term community stewardship
Wildbelt is both spatial and cultural. It shapes how Harrogate grows, how it relates to its countryside and how future generations experience the edge of town.
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Why it matters
Harrogate is surrounded by valleys, becks, woods, meadows, farmland and open ground, but these places are often fragmented, hidden or disconnected from daily life.
At the same time, people need better access to nature, landscapes need more care, and growing towns need clearer relationships with the land around them.
Wildbelt responds to this by connecting the principles that matter: edge, nature, movement, commons, culture and food. Together, they help shape a landscape that protects separation, restores habitats, supports walking and active travel, reveals local stories, strengthens community stewardship and brings productive land back into the life of the town.
It is a framework for a healthier relationship between Harrogate and its surrounding landscape.
Connecting land, people and projects
Behind the Wildbelt is a shared effort to connect the landscapes around Harrogate and support the people caring for them.
We are bringing together access, ecology, stewardship, local food, culture and future landscape projects.
Protect and reinforce clear green separation between settlements. Maintain spatial integrity and prevent incremental erosion of landscape form.
Restore ecological function across woodland, meadow and wetland systems. Work with soil and hydrology. Enable regenerative land management and biodiversity recovery.
Create continuous ecological and human connectivity. Establish walking and cycling routes. Reduce fragmentation caused by roads and infrastructure.
Enable shared stewardship and community participation. Foster collective care across different landholdings and partnerships.
Strengthen the relationship between town and landscape. Support education, wellbeing, heritage and spa character as part of everyday experience.
Reintegrate productive landscapes into the urban edge. Support orchards, market gardens, community-supported agriculture and regenerative farming partnerships.
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Wildbelt brings together residents, landowners, schools, local businesses, parish councils, ecologists and community groups.
Participation may take different forms:
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Landowners exploring regenerative management or habitat restoration
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Community groups supporting conservation, surveys and clean-ups
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Schools using the landscape as an outdoor classroom
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Businesses aligning investment with ecological enhancement
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Residents contributing ideas, local knowledge and time
Wildbelt encourages long-term stewardship rather than short-term projects. In some cases this may involve community-led management agreements or formal partnerships. In others it may involve informal collaboration and shared responsibility.
If you can support, please get in touch with us below: