FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

pga
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FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by pga »

Consultation opened today for 12 weeks on the government's proposals. See FC and Defra websites for details. Important implications for many of us, whether off or on roaders - we all use the cafes, if we don't all use the trails.

I hope the CTC HQ takes a strong stance on this issue and combines with BC, Sustrans, RA etc to make the strong case that these are publicly owned already and that the FC has a good access record, compared with the Woodland Trust and the National Trust, proposed recipients of some of the forests, who both have poor access records for cyclists.

In the meantime I suggest that we comment to the consultation and lobby our MPs. Of course, there may well be some who support the proposals. If there are, I would be interested to hear how cyclists would benefit.
Nutsey
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by Nutsey »

It needn't be a bad thing as long as they sell it to the right people, but I won't count on it!

Puting myself in the shoes of a potential buyer, why would I want to buy a forest that I woulndt be allowed to chop down? Wheres the profit?

The only thing I can think of is very rich people buying a forest as a tax minimising investment whereby the don't actually change the forest in any way. Its just somewhere to dump your money and not have it taxed.
flat tyre
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by flat tyre »

Nutsey
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by Nutsey »

flat tyre wrote:Here's the ecomomic argument for not selling them off; http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/13/english-forests-lost-tax-revenues


i was going to click on it but its in the guardian - not renowned for their economic acumen!
Big T
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by Big T »

I think the "honeypot" sites like Sherwood Pines will be OK in any sell off, as they will be able to generate enough revenue from parking, cafe franchises, shop franchises and other revenue to be attractive to a commercial operator.

It's the smaller woodlands with no facilities that are in danger of being bought and fenced off from public access. We have a number of such FC owned woodlands near where I live. They are mainly used by dog walkers and horse riders, but we have in the past used them for organised events.
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Nutsey
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by Nutsey »

Big T wrote:We have a number of such FC owned woodlands near where I live. They are mainly used by dog walkers and horse riders, but we have in the past used them for organised events.


Dogging? :shock:
yakdiver
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by yakdiver »

They tell us that the New Forest in Hampshire will be protected, yeah right until they start putting up toll gates just to visit :x
Big T
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by Big T »

Nutsey wrote:
Big T wrote:We have a number of such FC owned woodlands near where I live. They are mainly used by dog walkers and horse riders, but we have in the past used them for organised events.


Dogging? :shock:


Cyclo-cross actually, but dogging is a problem in the smaller woodlands. My wife has been pestered by doggers, whilst walking our dog at Blidworth woods. Privatising the woodland might actually stop the doggers, but the worry is that it will prevent access for everyone else as well.
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Nutsey
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by Nutsey »

haha classic. there will be "dogger's rights" groups springing up
Malaconotus
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by Malaconotus »

Another thread went a little OT, I should have posted this here...

This is the worst, most stupid, policy proposal I have seen in my life. Even if we have the right to access these forests after the sell-off, landowners will not be under any obligation to enable that access, nor to provide nice picnic tables, and maintained pathways, and dog bins, and birdwatching hides, and parking spaces, and stiles, and gates, and cycle tracks.

We will be perfectly entitled to carefully scale an eight foot fence, causing no damage, to go for a nice woodland walk.

Wrote to my MP today for the first time ever. The forests belong to us, not to the government, and they have no mandate to sell them off. They cost 30p per person per year in taxation and they might well cost us more once we've sold them... http://www.private-eye.co.uk/sections.p ... k=hp_sauce

As well as providing brilliantly for a diverse range of users,... http://www.forestry.gov.uk/england-cycling, http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/ourw ... erWatching, http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/ourw ... tforAdults, http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/ourw ... eMindsLive, the Forestry Commission are the best environmental stewards of woodland in the country... http://www.forestry.gov.uk/newsrele.nsf ... 2900411FB4

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meic
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by meic »

I wont be writing to my MP as we have devolved this issue to you.

As someone who lives adjacent to a large Forestry Commission area I have noticed quite a few minor sellings off already.

The FC have sold strips of land which run along the minor roads to private domestic buyers. This means that I can no longer just enter the forest on my bike and I have to cycle five miles around to a proper gate!
I assume they have done this to secure their borders and get cashflow at the same time.

Next they are giving up land and allowing extensive road building projects to private industrial developments within the forest, I dont know if the land is sold or leased.

So even here where there will be no selling off of the FC, the FC have already been selling off the best bits for some extra cash.
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kwackers
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by kwackers »

meic wrote:Next they are giving up land and allowing extensive road building projects to private industrial developments within the forest, I dont know if the land is sold or leased.

Once the roads are there it's only a matter of time before posh houses spring up nestled in the trees. Little oasis of civilisation in amongst the wilds.
Mini housing estates with names like "Everglades", "Tall Trees" & "The Copse".

I'd get my name down quick.
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meic
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by meic »

With names like that they will be asking to be burnt down before their owners come back for their second weekend. :evil:

Which could be a problem in the middle of a forest.
Yma o Hyd
kwackers
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by kwackers »

meic wrote:With names like that they will be asking to be burnt down before their owners come back for their second weekend. :evil:

Which could be a problem in the middle of a forest.

I guess that would save their owners writing letters of complaint to the local rags about squirrel infestations.
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meic
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Re: FORESTRY COMMISSION SELL OFF

Post by meic »

On past experience after a few years they would be demanding that the trees are cut down as it interferes with their satellite reception.
Though I suspect that the trees between them and the industrial developments would be allowed to remain and an injunction put on the FC if they try and harvest them when the trees are grown. :roll:
Yma o Hyd
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