Category: Campaigns

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Keswick Data Centre Planning Application is live

A Planning Application for a Data Centre at Keswick is now open for consultation, with a possible closing date of 28th October:

Reference: 2026/2957

Details are here.

“Construction of a data centre (Use Class B8) including ancillary office accommodation, associated infrastructure, substations, backup generators, access, parking, landscaping, sustainable drainage systems and associated works.

Land West Of Ipswich Road Keswick Norfolk”

The Yare Valley Society is closely examining the application over and is already able to give help on the Planning Page.

It is important that we all as individuals write in to make our voice heard.

Any response YVS makes will have to be in line with the Society’s Constitution, which will limit it to the impact on the wildlife of the Valley and its use for informal recreation. Your response will almost certainly have a wider brief and include the well-being of people living in their own homes and going about their daily lives.

To help you with your response to the application, the Society’s Data Centre Team is working on a Database tailored to the application. The Database, as a work in progress, is freely available on our Planning Page.

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Conservation Volunteers October 2026

The programme for the Volunteers is open to all and in a wide spread of locations. Relevant to the Yare Valley this month is the clearing of brambles in the Bluebell Woods (Eaton Park) on the 7th October, and the trimming of hedges at Eaton Burial Ground on the 10th October. These two locations are important stepping stones in connecting the Yare Valley Green Corridor with the surrounding ecological network.

The full programme is here.

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Conservation Volunteers September

A lot going on this month, as Mark Webster explains:

After a fire and brimstone summer, we are already moving into a sort-of autumn with leaves falling from the trees, the football is back already (did it ever go away?) and so here and now is your September activity programme, packed with useful things to do, but also the chance to discover much more about our threatened wildlife.  We always try to include a little bit of learning on our sessions (whether that’s how to use traditional tools, the history of the places we work at, or a bit about the animals we spot) but this month we will especially focus on the flora, as from 9th September our Wild Plant Wednesdays will include a look at the varied plantlife of the sites we are working at in a bit more detail.

As for the actual practical action, we will be doing several task days to help look after Mousehold Heath, where the remaining habitats there are even more precious after a devastating fire, and we will also be paying some extra attention to Smockmill Common, expanding the central meadow area by cutting back encroaching brambles etc.  There’s a welcome return to Alderford Common, a site packed with historic interest and nationally significant levels of biodiversity, plus everywhere from a small hidden, private woodland glade (Alpington) to some very popular and vital green spaces right in the centre of Norwich (Ketts Cave, Netherwood Green) all of which have lovely meadow areas amongst their important trees.

Please do encourage anyone who you think could benefit from getting out to join us whenever they can: wildlife needs all the help it can get right now, and we really appreciate anyone giving a few hours to help out.  Oh, and they will definitely* enjoy it too!

The full programme for September is here.

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A Data Centre in the Valley?

An AI Data Centre is being proposed on the large triangle of land opposite Tesco near Harford Bridge. Data centres are already causing concern in other parts of the country because of their size, energy and water requirements, heat output, etc., etc, …..

The environmental impact of the Centre on the Yare Valley Green infrastructure Corridor could be huge!  

Respond now to the pre-planning application consultation which ends on July 12. You can find out more by attending an event at the Keswick Reading Rooms between 3pm and 7pm on July 7 when the plans can be discussed.  

Here is a link to what is being proposed: apex Norwich Data Centre . If the link does not work, try using another browser!

The clarity of the Apex site is less than adequate, and so do get along to the event on July 7 if you possibly can.

There are many questions to be asked, and some of the questions the YVS committee will be asking are in the latest Newsletter N128 July 2026.

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Conservation Volunteers July 2026

Many other opportunities to give nature a helping hand in the Valley, but more often further afield, are available through the Conservation Volunteers organised by Mark Webster. The July programme, and Mark’s letter of the month are here.

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Give nature a helping hand by collecting ox eyed daisy seeds

All are welcome to join a Yare Valley Meadow Makers (YVMM) work party to collect ox-eye daisy seeds from Strawberry Field on Sunday 5th July from 2 to 3 pm. Meet at 2 pm at the main Strawberry Field gate ( on Bluebell Road) near to the McCarthy Stone Sheltered Housing development. YVMM will use the seeds in the autumn to boost its other meadow sites. Please let Matt Tomlinson of the YVMM know if you hope to come along (yarevalleymeadowmakers@gmail.com).

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Take a Walk on the Boardwalk next Spring?

The last few months have been exciting times for the YVS Committee as it has worked with a team at UEA to seek funding from the Greater Norwich Growth Board and the National Lottery Community Fund to replace the UEA Boardwalk.

Firstly though, a big thank you for the generosity of all who have contributed to the fund to replace the University of East Anglia (UEA) Boardwalk, exceeding the target of £5,000. The UEA/YVS bids for additional funding would not have been viable without your clear signal of strong community support.

Added to this is now £260,899 of funding from the Greater Norwich Growth Board. Taken together with funds from other sources, the total now covers the estimated cost of replacement of £439,708. Work on the new boardwalk will begin in Autumn 2026 to a timetable that will minimise the disturbance to wildlife. Completion is due in Spring 2027. See the UEA press release for more detail.

The UEA and Yare Valley Society (YVS) are also seeking funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for a “UEA Boardwalk Community Engagement Project”. The Project is a partnership between the YVS and UEA. It will give opportunities for people to say what they expect for the boardwalk, and their views and ideas for a launch event, for creating signage and interpretation panels, and for guiding promotional and educational materials.

The old boardwalk
The UEA team: Justine and Orla

The YVS committee was thrilled to work with a great UEA team. YVS and UEA worked in close cooperation to seek funds from the Greater Norwich Growth Board and the National Lottery Fund. Regular meetings and correspondence took place, and the YVS committee expresses its gratitude to the UEA team, Justine Mann and Orla Condra for their exceptional effort in preparing and assembling the extensive documentation.

Members of the YVS team, the UEA team, UEA Estate team, the Fringe Project, and Eaton Residents Association on site. Photo courtesy of UEA
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Come and plant a Woodland Trust tree on the UEA Meadows

Volunteers from the Yare Valley Meadow Makers (YVMM) have in recent years put a lot of effort in improving the meadowland at UEA. With trees from the Woodland Trust, they and the UEA Biodiversity Heroes are taking another step to improve the ecology of the meadows. The trees will add to those already planted in February this year.

Matt Tomlinson of the YVMM writes:

“We have 105 wildlife focused native trees coming from the Woodland Trust and need your help to plant them on the UEA Meadows. The trees will give more shade (better able to cope with droughts), increased habitat diversity and link together the wooded habitats on campus and lake sides. As well as providing an excellent habitat in their own right. In the future they will be coppiced to create valuable scrub habitat.

Species include 15 x silver birch, 15 x hazel, 15 x hawthorn, 15 x rowan, 15 x English oak, 30 x blackthorn”

Join the work party at UEA Meadows on Saturday March 7th 10-12 am

Meet at the same place as in February, at the new sign on the UEA meadows (Bluebell Road entrance near North Park Avenue) What3words ///free.doctor.blocks 

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Conservation Volunteers Programme February 2026

Learn a new skill of building a leaky dam. Is there a place for such dams on the river Yare?

Mark Webster of the Conservation Volunteers writes:

“I am particularly excited to announce the long-awaited start of the Leaky Dams project in the Tas Valley, where we will be making and installing natural flood defences, using trees sourced from the immediate area to create barriers to slow down floodwaters in a measured way. There’s also more chances to learn the ancient craft of hedge laying at Easton College, restoring a historic pond to how it was in the 1930s (we have the photographic proof of that!) and plenty of hedge and fruit tree planting – including a new community orchard in Cringleford, and new and old sites to see across Broadland. Plus there’s another chance to see the epic Blickling Hall estate.”

The full programme is here.

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Plant a tree in the Valley

The Yare Valley Meadow Makers (YVMM) invite you to join with them and the UEA Biodiversity Heroes in planting trees in the university meadow.

Matt Tomlinson (centre of photo) of the YVMM writes:

“To beat the winter blues we have a winter work party planned, joining with UEA biodiversity heroes.

We are planting trees on the UEA meadows. For more shade (better able to cope with droughts), increased habitat diversity and linking together the wooded habitats on campus and lake sides. As well as providing an excellent habitat in their own right. Species are wild pear, spindle, hazel, blackthorn, rowan and wych elm. All excellent for wildlife, kindly supplied by the council and UEA.

[Come along at] 9-12am on Wednesday 11th February, meet at the new sign [in the photo] on the UEA meadow, if you are a little late please walk down the meadows to find us.”

YVMM hope to have another work party in late February, this time planting trees supplied by the Woodland Trust.