The Conservation Land Trust (CLT) is a scheme which was set up by the Woodland Trust to help bring additional legal protection to woodland. It was established to address the problem perceived by private and community woodland owners that their cherished sites might be destroyed by future owners.
Under CLT the owner of a wood can enter into a legal agreement with the Woodland Trust under which we are granted powers to veto any unacceptable proposals which might affect the wood in the future. This might be a development of some kind or wholesale felling. If it is desired, we can also vet future owners to make sure that they have the best interests of the wood at heart.
There are two distinct mechanisms for achieving these outcomes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have been developed to make the scheme adaptable to differing patterns of property ownership. There is a third mechanism which is only available in Scotland which has been set up to suit the difference in legal system.
CLT is designed to be flexible about when the protection is applied. It can be put on a site now in readiness for a change of ownership in the future (eg when a wood is bequeathed in a will) or it can be secured as part of the legal process when a wood is being sold or transferred to a new owner. It is even flexible enough to have protection applied to a distinct area (ie a woodland) within a larger ownership.
If you would like to know more please email us.