Plans to sell 15 per cent of public woodland cancelled

Today the Government announced that it has cancelled plans to sell 15 per cent of public woodland and that the estate would remain in public ownership.

The Sport and Recreation Alliance welcomes the announcement, contained in a report which also aims to increase woodland cover by 12 per cent and bring more existing woodland into management, both of which should provide more sport and recreation opportunities

This decision marks the culmination of a long process which began in 2011 when 500,000 people signed a petition opposing the sale of public woodland.

The public forest estate managed by the Forestry Commission is the single largest provider of sport and recreation opportunities in England.

Many activities such as stage rallying, orienteering, mountain biking and equestrian activities are heavily reliant on the public forest estate as it provides high-quality facilities with consistent access arrangements.

The Alliance argued that although ownership of land is not directly related to facility provision, it was difficult to envisage any other arrangement that could provide the range of sport and recreation opportunities to the standards that participants have come to expect.

Tim Lamb, chief executive of the Sport and Recreation Alliance, said:

“The Sport and Recreation Alliance welcomes the Government’s announcement to hold the public forest estate in trust for the nation and to improve public access to woodland.

“However, it is vital that the creation of any new management body for public woodland places sport and recreation at the heart of its aims for the estate.

“But until that time, we at the Alliance will continue to work with the Forestry Commission and Forestry Services to improve the sport and recreation opportunities in woodland for everyone.”

For more information contact policy officer Martin Key.
 

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