The Barns: our new home for people and nature
A new chapter for Chiltern Rangers
For more than a decade, our depot has been the base for everything we do: storing tools and equipment, welcoming volunteers and training the next generation of conservationists. But our current site is no longer fit for the scale of our work.
We’re turning this challenge into an opportunity. The Barns is our proposed new headquarters and community hub in High Wycombe, built to match the growing demand for our work and to bring people and organisations together for nature.
What we’re proposing
The Barns is set to be built at Abbey Barn South, just three miles from our current depot, keeping us rooted in the community we already serve.
The project is planned in phases:
- Phase 1: Our new headquarters and depot. Office, meeting and training space for our team, alongside a secure compound for vehicles, tools and machinery.
- Phase 2: A shared community hub. Flexible space for like-minded organisations to work alongside us, supporting training, events and volunteering.
- Phase 3: Community gardens. Allotments and an orchard, giving residents and schools the chance to grow, learn and connect with nature on their doorstep.
Together, this will give us the space to welcome more volunteers, support more young people and manage a growing network of sites across the Chilterns. This isn’t just a relocation for Chiltern Rangers, it’s a catalyst for community collaboration – the aim is to create a place where a school group, a corporate volunteer team and a local conservation organisation are all working side by side, at the same time.
Why it matters
Since 2013, we’ve grown from two staff to a team of 16, delivering 60-70 projects a year across 126 sites.
In 2025 alone, we engaged 6,000 people and delivered almost 30,000 volunteer hours. The Barns will take us further still, from 711 sessions a year in 2026 to 1,000+ by 2030, a step change in our reach and impact.
But our current premises can’t keep up. We don’t have the space to store equipment safely, train larger groups, or welcome everyone who wants to get involved, and we’re increasingly having to turn people away.
The Barns will change that. It will let us:
- Manage more sites and deliver more conservation work, safely and efficiently
- Welcome larger and more diverse volunteer groups, year-round
- Offer dedicated, accessible teaching space for children and young people, including those with additional needs
- Create a shared base where other organisations can work alongside us for nature and community
Built on sustainability
Sustainability isn’t a feature of The Barns, it’s the foundation. From the design stage onwards, the building will reflect the same values we ask our community to live by.
The new site will support our ambition to reach Net Zero across our operations. It will give us the infrastructure to store, charge and maintain a growing fleet of electric tools and equipment, reducing our reliance on petrol-powered machinery over time.
The development itself will be nature-positive planting mixed native hedgerows and trees, creating pollinator-rich habitats and a pond & bog garden too. The buildings incorporate swift, bird, bat boxes and bee bricks as part of the design.
Where our current site holds us back, The Barns will let us lead by example, for our operations and for the wider environment. We will be waterwise; collecting, storing and using rainwater for irrigation and toilet flushing!
Where things stand
The site at Abbey Barn South is secured, and initial feasibility work has confirmed it can accommodate the proposed buildings. We’re now seeking outline planning permission, following early engagement with the local planning authority and a well-received pre-application meeting with Buckinghamshire Council in March 2026.
Our design and planning team, Arrow & HAP, are both based in High Wycombe and specialise in community buildings that are welcoming, practical and built to last.
How you can support The Barns
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Chiltern Rangers, and for nature and communities across Buckinghamshire. Here’s how you can help:
- Be involved. We are aiming to submit our planning application in August so watch out for events and opportunities to get involved in the coming months.
- Get in touch. If you’d like to know more, arrange a visit, or discuss supporting the project, we’d love to hear from you.
Unlike a grant-funded project that ends when the money runs out, The Barns is built to last. It’s an asset for Buckinghamshire and the Chilterns, not a programme with an end date, and the coalition of partners needed to make it happen is already forming and growing.
For more information, please contact:
John Shaw, Managing Director Chiltern Rangers CIC
07931 575 374