A unique opportunity has arisen to protect the future of The Coombes. Until now, the woodland has been privately owned and the owners of the majority now wish to sell.
The owners of the woodland known as The Coombes, have allowed the local community access to their land for well over 40 years. This would not necessarily be the case if it were to be taken over by one or more other private owners.
To retain The Coombes as a public amenity, and also to ensure that it is well looked after, Arborfield & Newland and Barkham Parish Councils are working together to try and purchase the land.
The two parish councils and Wokingham Borough Council were made aware of the impending sale last December, before the land was due to go onto the open market. They found the prospect of the woodland becoming closed to the public, combined with damage that new owners might inflict on the mature woodland, its natural wildlife habitat, rich biodiversity and carbon capturing potential, deeply unpalatable.
A period of time was negotiated with the land agent to allow the councils time to investigate how the woodland could be taken into public ownership, or that of a suitable charity, such as the Wildlife Trust.
Both sets of parish councillors devoted long hours to the task, intent on securing The Coombes as natural woodland to be enjoyed by the local community, along with the wildlife that inhabits it, forever.
They have been researching market prices for such land, options for jointly owning it with each other or suitable charities, best practices for managing it, the ongoing cost of ownership, possible grants, funding, and so much more. For them it has been a steep learning curve.
Public bodies with woodlands have a statutory duty to conserve and enhance their biodiversity, and they need to be able to demonstrate their compliance. For this, Wokingham Borough Council has tree and ecology specialists on its staff and working relationships with organisations such as the Woodland Trust, Natural England and TVERC, an organisation that carries out ecological surveys.
To help the parish councils generate a proposal, Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) visited twice and gave advice on how best to manage what is designated as Ancient Woodland. Wokingham Borough Council Countryside Services who manage areas such as Dinton Pastures and California Country Park have also made proposals.
When development takes place within the borough, the developers have to make con- tributions to a fund for providing or improving local infrastructure. This is known as a Community Infrastructure Levy, or CIL. The purchase and ongoing maintenance of amenity woodland qualifies as an acceptable use of CIL funds and these would be used for the purchase and upkeep of The Coombes.
With the implications of ongoing management now clearer, it is believed that the parish team will be able to offer a competitive price for woodland that is as heavily protected against development as The Coombes is.
If you wish to comment on the proposed purchase of The Coombes land, email your comments to: fe******@ba*******************.uk, or write to: Conserve the Coombes, Barkham Parish Council, Arborfield Green Community Centre, Sheerlands Road, Arborfield, RG2 9ND.