Plans for National Forest to branch out southwards
LAND WILL BE NEEDED IN BID TO PLANT MORE TREES IN COUNTY
THE National Forest could be branching out southwards into more parts of Leicestershire.
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council is seeking government support for its ambitions to extend the green area, as it works to make the region carbon neutral.
Councillors want to extend the woodland eco-project into areas to the north of Hinckley, down to the A47, to join with Charnwood Forest to the east, as well as west to the A5, to the extent of the borough’s borders.
The authority has committed to drawing up plans with the National Forest and Woodland Trust to identify sites.
Officials from the council will also be working to find grants and other funding to buy land and resources for the project, and to cover the costs of planting and the legal framework required.
Landowners will also be sought to take part and provide space to plant more trees.
Central government is already drawing up plans with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for subsidies to encourage landowners and farming communities to take part in similar projects.
The borough council declared a climate emergency in July 2019.
Councillor Russ Roberts presented the motion to extend the forest to the council. He said: “With rapidly rising and increases of traffic and congestion, much tougher and much more ambitious plans will need to be implemented if the borough is to become carbon neutral within the intended timescale.
“Currently the government has expressed an interest in extending and creating new woodland and forests to help mitigate some of these issues, along with extensive technology and infrastructure changes.
“Twenty-five years ago, large swathes of the Midlands landscape had been left scarred by centuries of coal mining and other heavy industry. But a passionate group of people had a vision: a forest.
“The first forest to be created at scale in England for over 1,000 years, it transformed the landscape from black to green. But the story doesn’t stop here. This is Our National Forest. It belongs to us all.”
The National Forest covers about 200 square miles of the Midlands, including parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire.
It covers a large portion of North West Leicestershire, including Ashby, Coalville and Measham, and extends to Bagworth and Thornton reservoir in Hinckley and Bosworth borough and up to Nanpantan in Charnwood district.
Councillor Stuart Bray, leader of the borough council, said: “While I support the sentiments of the motion, I am also keen to see more green corridors created across the area to complement any extension to the forest. This could include key opportunity areas in Hinckley along the Battling Brook corridor, and areas under the control of Severn Trent. I have discussed this with my executive lead for planning with a view to exploring further green corridor opportunities in our local plan.”
During the councillors’ discussion of the motion, Coun Bill Crooks said: “I am fully in support of the proposed expansion but we should name the areas proposed i.e. which parishes.
“This would help some parishes, as being in The National Forest and planting up of trees could protect some of their fields from housing development.”