Wood status: Owned by the Woodland Trust since 1993.
Wood threat: Application for private development submitted to Wealden District Council in 2006 for mixed use dwellings including 750 new homes and associated community developments on land adjacent to Lake Wood, known as 'Downlands Farm', which will encroach on WT woodland and resulting in direct ancient woodland loss and considerable damage to ancient woodland.
What happened?
The Woodland Trust was approached by the local Council after it received an application to develop on land next to woodland owned by us.
We took the following steps:
- We objected to the plans as an interested party
- We also provided expertise as consultants invited by the Council
- We then threw ourselves into the planning process...
- We raised awareness across our membership of the threat to our woods and asked them to object too
- We also told the press about it
- We made links with the local campaigning group and supported their fight against the plans
- We attended – and spoke at – Development Control/Planning Committee meetings to influence the decision-makers
What happened next?
- The application was unanimously rejected - due to the damage it would have on the sensitive ecological habitats on the site on the grounds that it would bring about the loss of ancient woodland and have a negative affect on landscape and highways. Hooray!
- Then the applicant made use of their right to appeal the decision and the application went to Public Inquiry, to be decided by the Secretary of State through the Planning Inspectorate.
- So we submitted our objections once more
- We then made a request for a formal hearing as an interested party at the Inquiry. This was approved by the Inspector and we were designated ‘Rule 6’ status.
- We got legal advice and put together our Statement of Case, detailing the argument and evidence we intended to bring to the Inquiry
- We attended the pre-Inquiry meeting to agree areas of common ground and to state our intention to object to the plans
- We continued to work with the local campaign group to put together their objections
- We got expert advice from planning consultants and appointed a Barrister to represent us during the Inquiry – this proved to be costly but crucial to our understanding of the process, the evidence we should present and our approach.
What’s happening now?
The Inquiry was adjourned temporarily and restarted in June 2008 for a further 16 days. After a long six months waiting for the Planning Inspectorate to reach their decision we recently found out that the appeal was dismissed and Lake wood has been SAVED!
Read our blog on our success at Lake Wood
