Hundreds of Hampshire residents have enjoyed an action-packed family day to celebrate the official opening of the 82 acre Edenbrook Country Park.
The event marked the official handover of this beautiful natural space from Berkeley Homes to Hart District Council and included a host of fun filled activities for people of all ages.
The new park has been created on previously private farmland as part of the Edenbrook Village development in Fleet.
This project has seen Hart Council, Natural England, the Environment Agency and Berkeley work in partnership to create a vast network of meadows, ponds, streams and wetland habitats.
The transformed landscape also includes walking and cycling paths, community allotments and a brand new BMX track.
New hedgerows, native plants, trees and reed beds have been plated across the 82 acre park to encourage all forms of wildlife and biodiversity.
Cllr Sharyn Wheale, Chairman of Hart District Council, said: "Edenbrook Country Park is a superb facility which gives the people of Hart a great place to enjoy fresh air, exercise and get close to nature. The health and wellbeing of our residents is paramount, and we will continue to grow and develop the park as a destination that is accessible to all. My thanks to the Countryside Rangers and Berkeley Homes for organising this fantastic event."
The funday also saw the opening of the park's new BMX pump track, a unique facility in Hart, where professional BMX riders showed off their skills and helped people to have a go themselves.
Visitors were invited to take a stroll around the rest of the park, where they discovered chainsaw artists creating a magical dragon, outdoor yoga sessions with Everyone Active and beautiful wildlife trails.
Harry Lewis, Managing Director at Berkeley Homes Southern, said: "At any development, green space is a valuable asset, but at Edenbrook Village the setting is particularly idyllic with 82 acres of glorious country parkland. I don't doubt that residents and the wider community will enjoy the meadows, wetlands and woodland areas for generations to come. Working with Hart District Council we have created a lasting legacy for Hart and one that Berkeley Homes is very proud of."
Berkeley has now created new country parks in Berkshire, Hampshire and West Sussex.
The group has also worked in partnership with the Wetlands Trust and London Wildlife Trust to create the Barnes and Woodberry Wetlands nature reserves inside London.
In 2016 Berkeley became the first UK developer to commit to measurably enhancing nature on every new development, no matter what the site's existing context or use.
To achieve this Berkeley uses its Net Biodiversity Gain Toolkit, which first measures established habitats, then helps to shape strategies to enrich them and connect them with surrounding ecosystems to create bigger and more sustainable natural networks.
The toolkit is used at the earliest stage of design to ensure green and blue infrastructure, like trees, wetlands, meadows and watercourses, are woven through the masterplan.
Find out more about how Berkeley creates net biodiversity gain on the website.