Latest news with #ancientwoodland
The Sun
24-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
‘Catastrophic' – New 16,000-seater Championship stadium delayed by ‘ancient woodland' amid warnings over club's future
OXFORD UNITED will be forced to wait a further two weeks for a decision regarding their proposed new stadium after a nearby woodland was designated as "ancient". The Championship side are hoping to build a 16,000-seater stadium at The Triangle, which is located by nearby Kidlington. 3 3 Plans were first unveiled in 2023, but have been marred by a series of delays. Cherwell District Council had been scheduled to come to a decision at a planning committee on July 31. Remarkably, this meeting has been delayed by two weeks to August 14 following a ruling by Natural England. Oxford 's proposed Triangle site borders the Stratfield Brake woodland. The woodland area was recently handed "ancient" status - sparking fresh concerns over whether this could affect the council's decision on Oxford's proposed new stadium. Upon the delay, U's development director Jonathon Clarke said: "It's frustrating that this delay has been caused by a last-minute submission from a statutory consultee, particularly given they had previously raised no objections to the application. 'However, we have provided comprehensive evidence addressing the points raised. This is an incredibly detailed, robust application. 'We will continue our work towards a positive recommendation as we await a new committee date.' BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Natural England claim that Oxford's plans "have the potential to adversely affect" the woodland. But the organisation does not oppose the stadium build. Championship club could be left without a stadium as EFL deadline looms Oxford play at the Kassam Stadium, having moved there since 2001. In May the second-tier side extended their lease at the Kassam to 2027, with an option for a further year. The site is still owned by Oxford's former owner Firoz Kassam, and Oxford City Council plans could see the Kassam Stadium torn down and replaced by as many as 150 homes in future. Oxford's proposed new Triangle home would boast plenty of community facilities in addition to the stadium, including a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, conference centre and community plaza. 'CATASTROPHIC' Labour MP for Oxford East Anneliese Dodds has stressed the importance of the U's receiving planning permission. She wrote on X: "I'm disappointed by the delay in deciding on @OUFCOfficial's new stadium. "OUFC, its fans, and Oxfordshire need this stadium for the benefits it will bring. "A positive decision is crucial, as more delays could have a catastrophic impact on the club." Oxford are currently preparing for their second season back in the Championship following their promotion in 2023-24. Gary Rowett 's side finished 17th last term, four points clear of the drop zone. 3
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Oxford stadium decision delayed due to ancient woodland
A decision on Oxford United's new stadium plans has been delayed after a nearby woodland was designated as District Council was due to review an application for a 16,000-seat venue on land known as the Triangle, near Kidlington, on 31 the local authority said it required further time after Natural England identified an area of ancient woodland near the site, and said its planning committee would now consider the application on 14 club said it was "disappointed" with the delay. Development director at Oxford United Jonathon Clarke said it the last-minute submission was "frustrating"."However, we have provided comprehensive evidence addressing the points raised," he said, adding it was "an incredibly detailed, robust application"."We will continue our work towards a positive recommendation as we await a new committee date."The planning application has faced several delays since its council said the designation required "a further period of time to ensure the robust consideration of those matters" and incorporate them into its recommendation England previously said its woodland specialists had "found that there has been sufficient evidence submitted to support this site as ancient woodland".But it added that it would be willing to "consider further substantively different evidence" in this particular case. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Woodland at Windermere Unesco site for sale after 300 years
A plot of ancient woodland on the shores of England's largest lake has gone up for sale for the first time in 300 32-acre (13-hectare) site at Windermere, in the Lake District's Unesco world heritage site, has been put on the market with a guide price of between £1m and £1.2m.H&H Land and Estate, the company marketing it, said the land was designated as ancient and semi-natural woodland, meaning there were restrictions on how it could be used.A spokesman said the land had a mix of broadleaf trees and open glades with a variety of waterfront flora and fauna. It sits on the eastern shore of the lake, under the summit of Gummer's How, near Newby Bridge. According to the Woodland Trust, ancient woods are areas of woodland that have been around since 1600 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 1750 in Scotland.H&H said it was the first time in more than 300 years that it was up for sale."It is impossible to overstate just how remarkable and a one-off this opportunity is," director Mark Barrow said. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Oxford United stadium proposal questioned over ancient woodland
Plans for Oxford United's new stadium have been questioned by campaigners opposed to the proposals after a nearby woodland was designated as ancient.A decision on the U's plans to construct a new purpose-built 16,000 seater ground on land known as the Triangle, near Kidlington, is expected to be made by Cherwell District Council on 31 the Friends of Stratfield Brake (FoSB) campaign group said that now "seems inconceivable" following Natural England's designation of ancient woodland near to the site.A spokesperson for Oxford United said its proposals "remain unaffected" by the designation. The club said the plans would "not cause any detrimental impact to the woodland"."Our detailed, independently commissioned studies demonstrate the area is not ancient woodland and this evidence has been submitted," it added. Natural England said its woodland specialists had "found that there has been sufficient evidence submitted to support this site as ancient woodland".It added that it would be willing to "consider further substantively different evidence" in this particular said government guidance suggested that planning permission "should be refused if it would result in the loss or deterioration of ancient woodland unless there are 'wholly exceptional reasons'".In addition, the group suggested that proposals "must have a buffer zone of at least 15 metres from the boundary of the woodland to avoid root damage". Victoria Campbell, from Kidlington, said the proposal was "likely to need a buffer zone" in excess of 15m (49ft) given the "very heavy football and significant lighting impacts that a stadium, hotel and commercial development would unavoidably entail".Ms Campbell added: "This is yet more compelling evidence that the Triangle is simply the wrong site and too small for OUFC's proposals and the club should consider other options."Cherwell District Council declined a BBC request for comment. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Step up restoration of ancient woodland before it is lost, Forestry England urged
Forestry England needs to urgently step up its ancient woodland restoration before this irreplaceable habitat is lost for ever, campaigners have said. Findings by the campaign group Wild Card suggest that in the 10 most recently assessed years Forestry England, which is in charge of the country's woodlands, has fully restored just 5.8% (2,484 hectares/6,138 acres) of publicly owned plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWs). The actor Judi Dench has joined a campaign to conserve the 'ancient wisdom' and ask for a funded government strategy to urgently restore England's oldest and most precious forests. The ancient woodlands of England are critically important habitats for many rare creatures with irreplaceable ecosystems created by the mature trees. The term covers areas that have been wooded continuously since at least AD1600. Throughout the UK, as much as 70% of ancient woods have been lost or damaged in the last 100 years due to conifer plantations, overgrazing and the spread of invasive species such as rhododendron. A Forestry England spokesperson said restoration 'can be difficult, needs care and takes time. Some woodlands can have trees replaced more quickly than others, some are more challenging. Deer and squirrels can stop trees from regenerating naturally. Planting native trees and protecting them can be expensive and time-consuming. And we must choose the right pace for the woodland: clear-felling large areas of PAWS can harm the ancient features we want to protect such as fungi-rich soils.' In 2022, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) set a new national target to restore or start the restoration of the majority of ancient woodlands covered with plantations by 2030, following a missed initial target of 2020. However, the new analysis has found that at the current rate of progress Forestry England will not be able to deliver on this target until 2111, more than 80 years late. Forestry England gives a baseline year of 2013-14 for improvement on its natural capital accounts. Since then the body has fully restored just 5.8% of its total PAWS to a semi-natural score of 1 (woodlands where less than 80% of the tree cover is native species). In 2013-14, 9,066 hectares were already in this condition, so 11,550 hectares (or 26.99%) of Forestry England's 42,781 hectares of PAWS can be considered to be restored ancient woodlands. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion This shows the body has taken 10 years to restore 5.8% and still has 31,231 hectares to re-establish. Between 2013-14 and 2022-23, the natural capital accounts data suggests Forestry England started to gradually restore 3,553 hectares (10.5%) of the public forest estate PAWS, which suggests that at the current rate of progress (10.5% over a decade) it will take 86 years from now to start the restoration process of all of the Forestry England PAWS. A recent government report found there was currently no definition of important trees, and that some of the UK's most culturally important trees had no protection whatsoever. The researchers have advised ministers to create a taskforce within the next 12 months to clearly define 'important trees' and swiftly prepare an action plan to save them. Rosie Smart-Knight, a campaigner at Wild Card, said: 'The state of Britain's nature is a source of national shame and nowhere is this more apparent than with the appalling treatment of our ancient woodlands. We recently saw the public outcry over the felling of just two trees, the iconic Hadrian's Wall sycamore and a 500-year-old oak next to a Toby Carvery. When you consider how many similarly wondrous and charismatic trees would have stood in our ancient woodlands you get a sense of the devastating loss across the nation. 'Despite being the guardians of our public forests, Forestry England receives shockingly little support from Defra for the restoration of our nation's ghost woods. Defra must step up and financially support Forestry England to follow through on restoration targets or risk losing half of our ancient woodlands for ever.' Dench said: 'Forestry England is responsible for over 100,000 acres that were once ancient, life-filled woodland. These were places of deep memory and wild beauty. But instead of letting nature return, much of the land has been smothered with fast-growing timber plantations. These places are now often uniform, silent, and sterile. In the process, we've lost so much of the rich biodiversity that once thrived there. 'I've always felt there is profound wisdom in trees, an ancient wisdom that we need to retain and let speak again. That's why this matters so much to me. Thankfully beneath these silent ghost woods, the heartbeat of life is still beating. Fragile threads of fungal networks and native seed banks are still clinging on. But scientists are warning us that they won't last much longer. If we don't act soon, they'll be lost for ever. It's time to let these forests live and breathe once more.' The Forestry England spokesperson said: 'We have met, and are still meeting, our commitments because we are restoring all of our PAWS and have been for many years. Using the skill and expertise of our foresters and ecologists, we have removed non-native trees from every one of our every PAWS and are still doing so. 'We agree that restoring PAWS is important and it is a key part of our work to reverse the biodiversity crisis. We have a good track record of successful restoration projects across the country, and have an ambition to double our rate of PAWS restoration. At over 40,000 hectares, it is arguably the largest nature restoration programme in the country.'
