50 space purpose-built car park given the go ahead
Following Monday's decision to give the green light to a new car park for Heartwood Forest, site manager Alistair Crosby addressed concerns that were raised:
"Firstly we would like to reiterate the thorough, transparent and stringent planning process throughout. We held open door sessions in Sandridge, Harpenden, Wheathampstead and Marshalswick, as well as a series of on-site meetings which were publicised locally, with Woodland Trust staff being available for discussion at these and many public events."
"Further lengthy consultation took place with specialist consultants, Hertfordshire County Council Highways engineers and Sandridge Parish Council. It was as a result of these 12 months of planning, consultation and many public discussions that led us to the realisation that a car park was desired by many, the Parish Council in particular supporting our plans.
"We also understand that such a large undertaking as Heartwood Forest will lead to a broad spectrum of opinions amongst the local population. Those that have visited the site already will be aware that the only real provision for cars currently is in the village of Sandridge itself so with a purpose built car park we will not only be alleviating congestion in Sandridge but also providing further local capacity for the benefit of the community.
"Whilst we have targets for attracting people by foot, bike and public transport, such a large and unique project will naturally attract many visitors who will travel by car. Feedback suggested that it would become more and more of an issue if we were not to address it early on.
"The new car park itself will only be for 50 cars, with overspill for a further one hundred on adjacent grassland, which would only be used for peak times such as community events.
"Rigorous safety audits have been completed along with robust traffic modelling. These have been available for viewing and consultation publicly at local libraries, online and by request, something which the Trust advertised in the local press and on posters. The proposed location is the safest possible when all is taken into consideration, with a number of locations being considered and later discounted due to safety concerns. If the car park was located on the opposite side of the road as has been suggested, visitors would have to take it into their own hands to cross a busy road. The entrance from the B651 will be clearly marked and have clear lines of vision both ways.
"The car park has been designed specifically to screen the cars within and it will be gated, so that we can close it in the evening and reopen in the morning.
"Any aesthetic impact will be minimal, with bunding, hedgerows and the forest itself as it grows screening the bulk of the car parking area.
"Feedback locally shows that the majority of people do accept and embrace the concept as a whole and we would like to believe that in the long term the project will lead to many positives for the local community. The site will become the largest native woodland in England and we want the local population to be proud of this and make use of the 850 acres of greenbelt land that we are opening up."
For the latest information visit the Heartwood minisiteNotes to editors
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The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, email: media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.
The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.