A swathe of north Essex coastline will be safeguarded for ever if Essex Wildlife Trust's ambitious plans to buy a £2.3 million farm come to fruition.

Seven hundred acres at Abbotts Hall in Great Wigborough is currently under offer to the conservation charity.

If the sale goes ahead this will mean the trust will own about 7,700 acres of land in Essex and that a 15-mile stretch of the county's coastline with its rare birds, animals and habitat will be protected.

Trust director John Hall said on Thursday he was unable to comment on the plans although he confirmed the trust was interested in the hall.

Abbotts Hall, the former home of ex-Ford chairman Sir Leonard Crossland who died last year, has just over 700 acres, including 127 acres of saltings and marshes.

It also boasts a swimming pool and looks out over the Salcott Channel towards Mersea Island.

The trust is particularly concerned that marshland saltings in the county should be preserved and made accessible to its members.

It intends to move its headquarters from the cramped administration centre ten miles away at Fingringhoe into the extensive farmhouse on the site, which was much improved by Sir Leonard during the 30 years he lived there.

The purchase has been made possible by a bequest of £2 million from the late Joan Elliot of Braintree and the trust has been looking for a suitable site for some time.

There are now about 16,000 members of the trust, which last year celebrated its 40th anniversary. It started life with just 110.

Its first success was in 1961 when it bought the current headquarters in Fingringhoe Wick for £4,000.

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