|
The council is proud to announce that one hundred and sixteen acres of ancient woodland, with an Iron Age fort, has been saved for local residents to enjoy.
Oakley Wood, located just off M40 Junction 13, forms part of the Crematoria Service HQ, already located in this peaceful part of Warwickshire. When the woodland came up for sale last year the council looked to its savings to see if it could be purchased, on a sustainable basis, for current and future generations to enjoy.
The woodland suffered from deforestation in the post war years, when all the mature oak trees were taken out and replaced with ever greens. The new woodland management plan will seek to selectively thin available timber. This will be partly sold, to offset the £320,000 purchase price, but also used as bio-mass for heating the crematoria site, saving around two thirds of the heating bills.
Councillor Chris White, Portfolio Holder for Culture said: "This is great news. I am delighted that Oakley Wood has been saved for future generations. Local residents were rightly concerned about its ownership and I am thrilled that this ancient woodland will now continue to be a place that everyone can enjoy."
Local Ward Councillor, Malcolm Doody said: "It’s not every day you have the opportunity to save a wood with an Iron Age Fort in it. Covering nine acres, the fort has a 12 foot high rampart on the north side. The work 'Oakley' means 'Clearing-in-the-wood' and we believe it originated from Saxon times. This makes Warwick District Council the only one in the country with four ‘castles’, Warwick, Kenilworth, the remains of a fort at Bagington, and now Oakley!"
Council Chairman, Councillor Les Caborn said: "The council already has an excellent reputation for conserving areas we own. We have nine designated Local Nature Reserves and work in partnership with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. Our parks and open spaces have won accolades for improvement and we are proud to keep that reputation alive with the purchase of this ancient woodland."
Nigel Bishop, Parks and Open Spaces Strategic Manager said: "The council will be working very closely with the Forestry Commission to ensue compliance with all the necessary safeguards and adopting best practice. The aim is to return the area to a quality broadleaved woodland over the next twenty years as part of a sustainable Management Plan."
Pictured above, left to right:
- Nigel Bishop, Parks and Open Spaces Strategic Manager
- Councillor Graham Leeke, Chairman, Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council
- Chairman of the Council, Councillor Les Caborn.
- Councillor Chris White, Portfolio Holder for Culture.
- Councillor Malcolm Doody, Bishops Tachbrook Ward.
Photographs courtesy of Helen Ashbourne.
|