Project Evaluation

Evaluating the Water, Mills and Marshes Landscape Partnership Scheme

The WMM LPS received full funding approval in 2017, with work commencing in January 2018. Funded by a significant grant of £2,437,500 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, matched by partnership contributions, the project had a total value of £3,957,499

Top of a drainage mill looking onto marshes below with shadow of the mill cast on the marsh.

The scheme aimed to achieve several key objectives:

  • Conserving biodiversity, historical and archaeological assets, and improving land and water management.
  • Reconnecting local people with the landscape and its heritage.
  • Enhancing access to the Broads for a broader audience.
  • Passing on declining specialist skills.
  • Helping local people deepen their understanding of all aspects of the landscape.
  • Providing community grants for small projects aligned with the LPS vision.

Evaluation Approach

The evaluation of the WMM LPS was conducted on a rolling basis throughout the project’s lifespan. This involved attending events, visiting sites within the LPS area, conducting interviews with staff, partners, beneficiaries, and stakeholders, and reviewing background research and quarterly management information. A formative review was completed in 2020 to identify successes, learning points, and priorities for later stages, coinciding with the Covid lockdowns. This final summative review is based on extensive fieldwork and offers an external reflection of the scheme’s successes and lessons learned.

Key Achievements

The Water, Mills and Marshes scheme has achieved significant outcomes, particularly in reconnecting people with the local landscape and improving access to the Broads. Highlights include:

  • Heritage Restoration: Five mills have been restored and secured for the next 20 years, removing them from the At Risk Register.
  • Public Engagement: Numerous exhibitions attracted approximately 10,000 visitors, enhancing understanding of the Broads’ existence, history, and beauty. The Broads Life Festival and four years of partner attendance at the Norfolk Show, featuring interactive exhibits, virtual reality headsets, and performances, helped share information about the Broads’ history and natural heritage.
  • Environmental Enhancements: Extensive creation and maintenance of footdrains, dykes, and ditches, alongside improvements to grazing land and marshes, have been completed. A Wet Grassland Adviser has been employed to assist farmers in managing drainage for breeding waders, significant habitat areas have been improved for biodiversity, and wild patches created for local wildlife.
  • Education and Skills: Over 5,000 pupils experienced the Broads through school visits to reserves, railway journeys, and boat trips. Collaborations with the University of East Anglia and Norwich University of the Arts allowed students to study local landscape and ecology. Local people also developed skills in field and desk archaeology, adding numerous records to local history archives. One Heritage Skills apprentice achieved a Level 3 qualification, and about 250 students gained experience working on historic structures.
  • Improved Access: Access to the Broads, especially for non-boating visitors, has been improved through new signage, interpretation, online materials, Discovery Hubs, information points, enhanced accessible footpaths, bird hides, and a Changing Places toilet. A wider range of people can now experience the Broads through virtual reality media, improved physical accessibility, and better-publicized routes.
  • Community and Creative Projects: A wide range of people explored creative skills inspired by the Broads, resulting in two music albums, two plays (attended by over 4,000 people), a book of poems, metalwork friezes, and the Burgh Castle Almanac. Thirteen community projects received funding to deliver small-scale initiatives aligned with the scheme’s aims.
  • Oral Histories: Personal histories were recorded and transcribed for the WISEArchive Water, Mills and Marshes book and the WISEArchive website.
  • Organisational Resilience: Many local organizations are now more resilient, with stronger partner relationships and an improved ability to secure and deliver new funding opportunities.

Sustainability and Legacy

Many of the project’s outputs and outcomes are sustainable. Restored built heritage structures are expected to remain sound for 20 years with suitable maintenance. New installations like the Changing Places toilet, accessible bird hides, and new paths should last for at least 5 to 10 years with maintenance.

Good foundations have been laid for improved volunteer groups and Broads awareness, with delivery partners working to ensure events and volunteer activities continue, some with additional funding. The Burgh Castle Almanac group has secured funds to continue as the Burgh Castle Experience. The Community Rail Partnership has ensured continued funding for school children and other groups to experience the Broads through the Rails, Trails, and Sales project, with a dedicated staff member retained by the Broads Authority.

The scheme’s legacy is significant, with tangible improvements to the southern Broads. People have reconnected with the land, with landowners having more information for biodiversity management, and local reserves are now “owned” by local people who care for them. There are also substantial new records and resources about the area’s history and wildlife.

Looking forward, many activities are continuing through self-funding or new funding routes. Norwich University of the Arts secured funding for a giant immersive screen to create a 360° immersive experience about climate change’s impact on the Broads. There are ongoing efforts to restore additional mills, including proposals for How Hill. Work continues to install more Changing Places toilets to make the Broads the most accessible National Park.

Download the Executive Summary

Download the Full Evaluation Report