Project

Future Saltram: Investing in heritage, nature and wellbeing in Plymouth

Family visitors in the wider estate of Saltram with the River Plym in the background — We are working to support well-being through connections with heritage and nature at Saltram in Plymouth | © Paul Harris

Saltram is a well-loved place for many, providing a vital link to heritage and green spaces for the local community in a rapidly expanding city. We want to ensure that everyone feels welcome to visit and that Saltram can play a pivotal role in supporting health, well-being, and education in Plymouth. Together with our partners, we are committed to implementing a range of improvements throughout the estate to better serve the evolving needs of the communities we serve.

Our vision for Saltram

Saltram is an historic estate that the city of Plymouth and those who visit take pride in. It links the city and its communities with history, nature and green space. Over the next decade we will be working to support well-being through connections with heritage and nature; opening up more free-to-use country park for people; creating habitats for wildlife; restoring historic landscape and parkland views; improving visitor facilities and offering better access and connections to Saltram for local communities.

Together we can shape this next chapter in Saltram’s history, ensuring this special place can be enjoyed by everyone, for ever.

Doubling the country park at Saltram

Over the next eighteen months, we will be doubling the amount of free-to-access country park at Saltram. Spanning 32 hectares (79 acres) — equivalent to 45 football pitches — on the eastern side of the 213 hectare (528 acre) estate, this ambitious project aims to create a vibrant, accessible green space for community wellbeing and engagement, as well as providing a boost for nature.

The existing country park at Saltram is already visited an estimated 1 million times each year. This additional green space means improved access to nature and its well documented well-being benefits for Plymouth's growing population.

Thanks to support from our partners, the creation of a new accessible 2.5 kilometre multi-use trail, will connect with the existing riverside walk at Saltram and cater for the many ways people use the outdoor space here, from cyclists, walkers and wheelchair users to families with pushchairs and those needing a little more reassurance underfoot. New wildflower meadows and a new community forest will create new habitats for wildlife and a space for visitors to access and connect with nature in the city.

We have submitted a planning application for the new accessible trail, tree planting and wildflower meadow creation and we aim to open this new area of the countryside park in the summer of 2025. Please head to the project updates section below for all the latest developments.

Two children ride bikes along a track through the woods at Saltram, Devon — Cycling around Saltram | © National Trust Images / Chris Lacey

Connecting people with nature and heritage

In March 2023 we were awarded a grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to improve access to Saltram, develop skills and improve health and well-being. We are currently in the Development Phase of this part of the project which means that we are listening, testing and learning in order to build a Delivery Phase National Lottery Heritage Fund application for 2025.

Together with our partners, we're working to restore local landmarks on the estate, provide better access to nature and heritage and tell new stories that explore the histories of Saltram and its connection to Plymouth. We will boost wellbeing by making the most of everything Saltram has to offer in supporting mental and physical health and creating new opportunities for Plymouth's young people to grow skills.

From now until the end of 2024 we will work with our partners and local communities to:

Design physical access improvements to the Stables, garden and house
Develop conservation solutions for the Amphitheatre, Stables and Great Terrace
Explore participatory, inclusive and accessible ways for a wide range of audiences to engage with Saltram
Design new, accessible exhibition spaces in the house and stables and open up new things to see and do in the gardens and estate
Research the lesser-known stories of Saltram and look at ways we can share these with our visitors
Provide more opportunities to help people get active outdoors
Connect children and young people with their local landscapes, support nature connectedness and provide green skill development
Consult and co-design with our visitors and communities to help tell the stories of our historic spaces

Please keep an eye on our project updates below to follow our progress.

What's next?

We’ll be using the learnings from this development phase to build our delivery stage funding application for submission in February 2025. The four-year delivery stage is intended to run from September 2025-2029 and will focus on helping Saltram adapt to the needs of local communities. Our ambition is for Saltram to be a place which welcomes everyone and where the communities of Plymouth can find meaningful connections to nature and heritage.

A view of the Georgian mansion with fallen orange leaves on the lawn in front of it in the Autumn. — We are exploring how we can provide better access to nature and heritage and provide opportunities for Plymouth's young people to grow their skills. | © Paul Harris

Working with local communities

We want to better understand what Saltram means to local people and develop plans on how to provide better access to nature and heritage for all. Throughout the duration of the project we'll be working with our local communities, schools and key partners including the Plymouth Octopus Project, Improving Lives and the YMCA, to help shape our plans for Saltram. We'll be posting updates below.

Get in touch

Your feedback matters. Questions and comments from our neighbours and those who love to visit Saltram have really helped shaped our thinking so far. Get in touch to share your views, or ask us anything about the work we do: futuresaltramproject@nationaltrust.org.uk

Project updates

June 2024

Saltram East: Planning application submitted

This month we have submitted our 'Saltram East - New Country Park' planning application.

Our proposals include the development of an accessible 2.5-kilometer multi-use trail designed to enhance connectivity with Saltram's existing riverside walk. This upgrade will not only improve existing tracks but also expand outdoor recreational spaces, creating more space for people to enjoy the outdoors.

In addition to enhancing recreational access, we are committed to making gains for nature by creating new wildflower meadows and supporting the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest. We are playing our part by managing our own land for the benefit of nature to restore the health and beauty of the countryside and bring back the wildlife.

Saltram is one of the three major greenspaces in Plymouth and we are working to strengthen our connection with the city through heritage, beauty and nature.