Ivel Springs

Ivel Springs is a 15.4 hectare Local Nature Reserve on the urban fringe of Baldock in Hertfordshire. It is owned and managed by North Hertfordshire District Council, assisted by the Friends of Baldock Green Spaces.[1][2]

The site, which was a rubbish dump until the 1950s, was declared a Local Nature Reserve by Hertfordshire County Council in 2007. It has habitats of woodland, wetland and pasture with a wide variety of wildlife. Its springs are the source of the River Ivel.[1] The grazing area of the wildflower meadow is the site of a farming settlement that has Scheduled Monument status.[3] In 2025, the reserve was awarded Green Flag status for the eleventh consecutive year.[4][5]

Affinity Water, which extracts groundwater in the area, carried out restoration work to the Ivel riverbed and banks, and constructed a seasonal wetland at the reserve in 2023–24.[6]

There is vehicle access to the site from the A507 (North Road), and pedestrian access from Norton Road and Icknield Way (via a tunnel under the railway embankment).[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ivel Springs". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  2. ^ "Ivel Springs". North Herts Council. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  3. ^ "Ivel Springs Greenspace Action Plan 2025–2030" (PDF). north-herts.gov.uk. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 May 2026. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  4. ^ "Five Green Flags continue to fly high in North Herts". North Herts Council. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  5. ^ Benham, Joe (15 July 2025). "Five North Herts green spaces win Green Flag Awards". The Comet. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  6. ^ "How we're revitalising the River Ivel". affinitywater.co.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2026.

51°59′39″N 0°11′38″W / 51.9942°N 0.1939°W / 51.9942; -0.1939

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