Campaign to halt Cumbria forests privatisation plan (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Campaign to halt Cumbria forests privatisation plan

9:00am Thursday 13th January 2011 in Ballots By Rachel Ryan

CONCERN: Paul Townsend has launched an internet campaign in a bid to stop forest sales

CAMPAIGNERS have launched a fight to protect 33,000 acres of forests across the Lake District which are being lined up for privatisation.

It is feared that 39 forests in Cumbria – including iconic Grizedale, which generates £10 million each year for the local economy – are to be sold off to help plug the country’s budget deficit.

And concern is mounting that privatisation could curb public access and leave wildlife habitats unprotected.

Over the next three years, the Forestry Commission has been told to sell off 15 per cent of its land - which is estimated to be worth at least £80m.

DEFRA has confirmed that a consultation will be launched at the end of this month.

That has sparked concerns that it will lead to the complete privatisation of public forestry.

Grizedale and Whinlatter forests in the Lake District, which between them bring in £20 million a year, would be seen as flagship sales in Cumbria.

Pockets of publicly-owned land have already been hived off by the Forestry Commission, including Riggwood at Grizedale, which was sold for around £120,000 last year and later closed to public access.

Now an internet campaign - savelakelandsforests.org.uk - has been launched to fight for public access and conservation of the county’s forests.

Satterthwaite resident Paul Townsend said he launched Save Lakeland Forests last week to rally support.

“Not many people seem to be aware of this and that concerns me – and 12 weeks for a consultation is not much time for people to make their opinions known.

“It is potentially a very bad thing because there are serious concerns about access and no guarentees that owners will allow mountain bikers and horse riders on the land.

“The land was sold off at Riggwood last year and already the car park has been closed off, the land fenced off and locked.

"It happened quickly and that pace of change is worrying.

"My worry is that we could wake up one day and access to our forests is gone.”

Buyers of freehold land would have to keep public rights of ways open for walkers but critics fear there would be no requirement for them to provide access for cycling, mountain biking and horse riders.

They would also not be obliged to maintain car parks or picnic areas.

Lord Clark of Windermere, former chairman of the Forestry Commission and now chair for the All-Party Forestry Group at Westminister, welcomed the campaign launch and said land being sold off would affect many.

He said: “It is very sad because forests not only provide timber but they are used for recreation and are important for bio-diversity.

“Locally there will be lots of opposition to the plans because it affects everybody including dog walkers.”

“I do not believe any Government has the right to sell off our forests.

"We hold these magnificent green spaces in trust for our children. Once they’ve gone we will not get them back.”

Jack Ellerby, policy officer for the Friends of the Lake District, said the Forestry Commission had done a ‘fantastic’ job of restoring hundreds of hectares of woodland and questioned whether the same standards would be taken by all new private owners.

A spokesman for Cumbria Tourism said: “We urge the Government not to sell off the area's family silver.

"No visitor or local resident wants to find padlocked gates, 'keep out' signs and car parks closed, which can be an unfortunate side-effect of a sell off, even in those places where access is retained as part of the sale."

Stuart Burgess, of the Forestry Commission, said: “The future of the forests will depend on the outcome of the public consultation and new owners and managers.”

DEFRA said: “We will consult on our proposals in the coming weeks to invite interest from a wide range of potential private and civil society partners on a number of new ownership options.

"No decisions have been taken on any particular sites."