Farmers voice opposition to Picklescott woodland project

The public is being asked to have their say on the design of a new Coronation wood which would replace highly productive farmland in the Shropshire Hills.

Forestry England has bought 54ha of land close to the village of Picklescott, near Church Stretton, to create a new area of woodland for public access.

The site will be planted with a mixture of broadleaf and conifer tree species, and managed by Forestry England to provide sustainably-grown softwood timber.

See also: The grant support available to landowners for tree projects

It is being supported by the Nature for Climate Fund (NCF), set up by the previous former Conservative government to leave a lasting legacy of accessible woodlands and forests for the public.

However, local farmers have expressed frustration as the woodland would occupy acreage of a local dairy farm and good grassland.

Local opposition

Bill and Jane Kerswell, who are neighbouring upland sheep farmers, have voiced their opposition to the project on several grounds.

“The Forestry Commission is buying up farms and outbidding farmers to plant trees on good land which we should use to produce food,” said Mr Kerswell.

“I’m not against planting trees – there’s plenty of steep-sided, poor quality land, which doesn’t provide much grazing, which would be ideal for tree planting.

“In Picklescott, they are taking the best land, saying it’s a flood plain, which is untrue. We are faced with a fait accompli. It’s nationalisation of farmland by the back door.”

Mr Kerswell said the road system was inadequate to cope with any increased traffic resulting from public access to the woodland.

He also warned that incidents of sheep worrying would increase if people brought dogs to the area and let them loose.

Planting trees on the site would ruin some of the best views of the Lawley, Caradoc and the Wrekin in the Shropshire Hills area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), he added.

Forestry England said it understood the concerns around food security and keeping the best land in production, but it denied that the land being used was best quality.

“Our woodland creation programme seeks to avoid the most productive land, Grades 1 and 2. The land at Picklescott is graded at 3 and 4,” it said.

Double fruit and veg production

Last week, the Soil Association published an open letter urging the government to double the amount of land in England used to grow fruit and vegetables.

The organisation pointed out that most of the fruit and nearly half the vegetables consumed in the UK are imported, adding that the country must take steps to reduce its reliance on food imports.

Forestry England is hosting a public consultation event between 4pm and 7pm on Tuesday, 30 July at Picklescott Village Hall.

Draft designs are also available to view and comment on online until Sunday, 11 August at consult.forestryengland.uk/forest-districts/picklescott-consult.