Nearly three-quarters of England’s woods inaccessible to public, study finds | Access to green space
Embedded government documents show almost three-quarters of England’s forests are closed to the public.
Research by Forest Research, a state-funded quango, found that 73% of British woodlands are publicly inaccessible.
The research also found that more than a third of the trees in the Woodland Trust’s ancient tree inventory are not accessible to the public.
Many woodlands are off-limits because they are used for commercial purposes, such as pheasant shoots and timber plantations.
Ancient trees are trees that are particularly old in species; some are over 1000 years old. The Woodland Trust has called for greater awareness of these valuable plants, but many of them are in areas that are trespassing to visit.
Campaigners have called on the government to develop a right-to-roam policy that allows people to roam local woodlands.
While in opposition, Labor committed to a Scottish-style right to roam; According to this right, everyone can wander around the countryside as long as they do not leave traces and do not disturb agricultural lands. However, after the lobbying efforts of landowner groups, the party resorted to this route.
The government announced it would instead create nine riverwalks and three national forests.
The Right to Roam campaign is planning a series of mass trespasses into forests across England in March and April. At these events, dozens of people gather to go on illegal hikes and picnics on land that are usually not open to the public. There have previously been mass trespasses on forests owned by a duke, reservoirs and the grounds of a lord and former Tory minister’s country house.
Campaigners are demanding that the government introduce a right to roam bill that would ensure responsible public access in rural areas.
Guy Shrubsole from Right to Roam said: “If you go into the forest today you’ll be in for a big surprise – most of it is closed to the public.
“It’s appalling that three-quarters of England’s woodlands are inaccessible. Everyone loves trees, but thousands of forests remain off-limits simply because of corporate logging interests or because a landowner is using their forests to hunt pheasants.”
“We need the government to fix this by introducing a new right to roam bill in the next king’s speech this May and give people the right to walk in our own forests.”
The break-ins are planned across the country, including Suffolk, Norwich, West Yorkshire and Somerset.
The government aims for everyone to live within a 15-minute walk of accessible blue or green spaces. There are currently uninhabited areas of England within a 15-minute walk of nature.
Campaigners have said government policies to liberalize planning for homes and infrastructure could lead to erosion in the amount of green space available, especially for those in less affluent urban areas.
The new legislation will allow housing developers to build on once-protected green areas without having to compensate for the loss of surrounding nature.
Lack of access to nature has profound effects on physical and mental health. Recent research shows that living near parks or natural green spaces reduces anxiety and depression by about 20%.
Conversely, those living more than half a mile from green spaces reported significantly poorer well-being, especially during Covid-19 lockdowns. There is therefore a risk that homes in nature-rich areas may become unaffordable for young homeowners, deepening health inequalities.
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Our countryside and green spaces are a source of great national pride. This government recognizes the importance of access to nature and is already taking steps to increase this.”
