Rolls Royce Motor Cars is extending its environmental partnership with the Goodwood Estate.
The collaboration with the Goodwood Estate will focus on continuing the legacy of sustainability and preserving and enhancing biodiversity through nature-based solutions.
The estate
The Goodwood Estate has been the home to the Dukes of Richmond since 1697. It extends to 12,000 acres with over 4,900 acres of forestry. And one of the largest lowland organic farms in the UK. It operates traditional land management practices supporting diverse habitats for local wildlife.
Rolls Royce has worked closely with the Estate since it was chosen as the location for the marque’s global headquarters and Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence in 2001. The Rolls Royce site currently occupies around 42 acres south of the Estate. The company recently announced their proposals to expand on neighbouring land towards the east.
The projects
The projects include a joint study with a local chiropterologist. Together they ventured to understand the flight patterns of the rare and elusive Barbastelle bats that live on the Estate. They noted the path between their roosts and their feeding grounds around Chichester Harbour to the south. And this has already led Chichester District Council to adjust the route of its proposed Strategic Wildlife Corridor. It now includes part of the Rolls-Royce site also. The study will run throughout 2023.
Rolls Royce has also supported the Estate’s investment in custom-built, mechanised wildflower seed harvester, which will enter service this year. This special harvester will enable seeds from a wider variety of species to be gathered easily and efficiently. And they are subsequently planted on the Estate’s grasslands and around the Rolls-Royce site.
The impact
The Rolls Royce site indeed enhances wildlife and biodiversity conservation through projects like the recently rejuvenated Wildlife Garden. The garden forms part of the proposed Strategic Wildlife Corridor and the Rolls-Royce Apiary. The apiary evidently has a colony of 250,000 European honeybees.
Since the partnership, more than 20,000 trees have been planted along the South Downs National Park boundary. And thus helping both wildlife and the local community. Various, mainly native broadleaf species were grown from cuttings collected on the Estate. To minimise waste, no single-use plastic tree guards were used in the planting scheme.
Statements
Lloyd McNeill, estate managing director, The Goodwood Group, said: “We are proud to continue our work with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars to create a lasting legacy of biodiversity in this beautiful and biodynamically diverse corner of West Sussex. Our joint approach creates a bountiful environment for all wildlife with a special focus on nurturing and protecting rare and threatened species. Additionally, we create an environment for local people and the millions of visitors to the Estate to enjoy for many generations to come.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, added: “The Goodwood Estate is one of the natural jewels of the south of England and was a significant factor in our decision to select this location for the new Home of Rolls-Royce over 20 years ago. From those very first days, we have enjoyed a warm, close and mutually beneficial relationship with the Estate, in which our joint approach to the environment and sustainability has always been of central importance. I’m delighted to see this partnership extended further, as we both play our parts in nurturing the unique wildlife, habitats and landscapes of this exceptional corner of the world.”
