Bungay Common

Bungay Common

The Town Trust is a significant individual holder of ‘goings' on Bungay Outney Common. It is assumed that a going, the right to graze livestock was, perhaps as long as 1000 years ago, attached to properties in Bungay but eventually these 300 goings were sold away from the properties and are now held by around fifty individuals and organisations in Bungay and the surrounding area.

The Common, covering about 400 acres is naturally divided into The Lows, about half the area, of low lying grazing land bordering the River Waveney, and The Hards, the higher ground in the centre which contains an 18 hole Golf Course, and an area designated Right to Roam which is well used by ramblers and dog walkers.

The Common is managed by the Chairman and 6 Common Reeves appointed by the owners at the Annual General Meeting; they work to a management plan which was agreed ten years ago with the District Council tree wardens and the Broads Authority. The Common, with the exception of the Golf Course is, because of its special environment, now included in the new Higher Level Stewardship Scheme administered by Natural England; it is acknowledged as an important habitat for over wintering wading birds and has one of the largest areas of acid grassland in the Waveney Valley; water voles are present in the dykes and there is a growing population of Barn Owls. Agricultural inputs are kept to a minimum to avoid seepage of harmful chemicals into the surrounding waterways.

The Town Trust were pleased to have the opportunity of purchasing their holding in Bungay Common with the knowledge that they are now part of the body which controls this important area. Walkers, nature lovers, fisherman, visitors and golfers all benefit from the ongoing maintenance programme to protect the open nature of the area, heathland and water meadows.