Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, Discovery Centre
Visitor, Welcome and Interpretation Centres
Landscaping
Project Overview
Sussex Wildlife Trust
Client
Rye, East Sussex
Location
Our Role
The previous visitor centre was in very poor condition and was demolished to make way for a new purpose-built visitor centre. The new Discovery Centre has become a focal point for visitors to interpret wildlife and to increase the desire for a wildlife-rich environment, raising awareness of the natural world, encouraging involvement and inspiring people through education, outreach and participation.
The Centre includes:
• a reception
• education, public engagement and interpretation areas
• viewing area
• café and retail space
• catering facilities
• staff and volunteer office and common room/kitchen
• storage and covered areas for vehicles and tools.
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is a rare coastal landscape of outstanding geological, biological, cultural and heritage value. The 465-hectare nature reserve is one of the most important nature conservation sites on the south coast and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a European Special Protection Area (SPA) and a proposed Ramsar site. Within the nature reserve there are many habitats, including intertidal, saltmarsh, reclaimed saltmarsh, drainage ditches, shingle ridges, sand, marsh, pits, scrub and woodland. The Discovery Centre project was launched to improve visitor facilities and experience and to grow visitor numbers to the reserve.
We provided project management services throughout the redevelopment, coordinating the design and delivery of the new visitor centre. We ensured the project balanced the sensitive environmental and heritage context of the site with the creation of a modern, engaging, and sustainable facility for visitors, staff, and volunteers.
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