WOODLAND sites around the Lake District have been put on the market causing consternation among residents upset at their potential sale.

Once again the Lake District National Park Authority is offering up parcels of land for sale as part of an ongoing review of the property it owns.

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Last year the national park put seven plots of land on the market but some communities fought back and got the sites designated as Assets of Community Value. Two plots of land were sold off, including Lady Wood, Grasmere, and there was criticism of the national park after a veil of secrecy was thrown over the identity of the buyers

Staveley Parish Council has been in talks with the LDNPA after a notice was put up in the village saying that much-loved Craggy Wood could be sold.

Resident Barbara Colley said that she is 'personally concerned' about the potential sale.

"It is a big issue for the people of the village because it's like an extension of the settlement," said Mrs Colley. "The concern is that it can just happen. I am concerned that this has been done in such a low key way."

Staveley parish councillor Anne Salisbury said that the 'amenity value of the woods to the local community' was of 'much greater value' than the £175,000 valuation price.

"The possible selling of Craggy Wood was discussed at the July meeting of the parish council and there was an overwhelming feeling that this woodland should not be sold off," said Cllr Salisbury. "The current valuation of the land is in the region of £175,000. Whilst this is a large amount of money for a piece of woodland, which is likely to be more of a liability than an asset, once that money, a very small amount in the whole budget of the National Park is used, then there is no further value to be gained by them.

"There is a public right of way footpath traversing the edge of the wood which is used by hundreds of people every year, local people, school children, and visitors alike, enjoying the wild nature of the woods so close to the village."

Blue Hill and Red Bank Wood at Ambleside and Longbridge at Portinscale, Keswick, are being marketed by Michael C L Hodgson.

Gail Staton, the property programme manager for the LDNPA, said that the sale of land is part of an ongoing review of the property owned by the authority, which amounts to just under four per cent of the park.

"We are currently exploring the options for moving Craggy Wood into alternative ownership," she said. "We have met with the parish council and are in discussion with other interested parties."

David Harpley, the conservation manager at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said that his main concern around the sale of any woodland was the uncertainty that came with it.

"You just do not know who is going to buy it and what they want to do with it," he said.

Also being marketed by Michael C L Hodgson is Limegarth Woods, 54.6 acres of land at Meathop that currently belongs to the Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC). A spokesperson for the LEC said that it was selling the land as it was no longer needed for research.

Mark Barrow, from H&H Land and Property in Kendal, said: "Owning woodland is growing in popularity and we are expecting a lot of interest in Blue Hill and Red Bank Wood.

"Woodland appeals to a variety of people; we’ve recently sold a wood to someone who invested part of his retirement lump sum payment on it. Caring for the land keeps him occupied, fit and healthy. They’re also popular with families with children, who see the land as an amenity as well as a potential source of income.

"Buying woodland isn’t like buying land to build on. Woods come with their own regulations. For instance you can’t operate a business or cut down trees without obtaining the correct permissions and building in woodlands is restricted, so expert planning advice should always be sought."