Stroudy Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 So. Now the government have decided to sell off our national English forests. The ones that we, as members of the public, own and enjoy for fresh air, dog walking, cycling, running, you name it. Forests like the New Forest, Forest of Dean, Sherwood Forest and the rest of the public forest estate - all to be sold of by the coallition government as soon as they legally can to the highest bidder to do what ever they like with them. This almost unbelievable act is real and it is happening! It is currently illegal in England to sell of the forests as they belong to us the public and are a vital green space and historic monument. So... the government are trying to change the law this week very quietly to enable them to do this. They will then launch a public consultation this week that is worded and presented to only allow the outcome that they require. If you have any interest in the outdoors at all, or you believe that these areas should be kept open for our access and enjoyment, not sold off to industrial companies to chop down and build on, please register you support by writing to your local MP saying why you think this is wrong (we will all have forestry commission woodlands near us that we may use that will be sold off and closed up), by contacting your local newspapers and then signing the online petition here: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/save-our-forests - there are already nearly a quarter of a million signatures. We must do all we can to protect these national treasures. Dont believe that new owners will continue to allow public access - it will cost them a lot of money they wont want to spend to do this so will allow all paths and tracks to over grow and run in to dissrepair - they will then have succeeded for free in keeping us out. It costs just 30p per tax payer per year to keep our forests managed and open to the public. If you are interested spread the word to everyone you know who too enjoy these places. Thank you all.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Is it the ground and woodland that they are selling or is it just the woodland? Up here in Scotland it is very common for commercial woodland to be sold off with the vendor retaining the freehold ownership of the ground. However any harvesting or felling must be reinstated immediately if self seed is not an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroudy Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 The ground as well as the woodland will be sold off. 25% in England now and then the ENTIRE estate if the law is passed this week. Once its gone its gone.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 The scottish model seems to work very well. Surely it would be beter to go down this route and tie the new owners into sensible conservancy. The way this country is going we may as well sell it all if we can find any stupid enough to buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroudy Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 I think the Condems are privitising air next and fitting us all with a meter to tax it All that are interested please sign petition (currently 226,700 sigs) through the link above. Cheers.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Signed. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroudy Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Thanks Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Signed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Right, let's start this again with the facts, shall we? There is no law being rushed through this week. What does happen this week is the end of the consultation period of the new Defra Business Plan, which includes discussions as to what the best way forward is. If you want to actually read the draft proposals. then click here and follow the links. If you decide that you actually want to pass comment on the plans in a reasoned way and to someone who will actually listen, then you need to write to Information-consultation@defra.gsi.gov.uk and not just stick your name on yet-another poorly informed and pointless internet petition that goes nowhere and achieves precious little other than wasting people's time. It really does bug the hell out of me when people get all excited about stuff happening without bothering to actually read up on the details behind the action. It's not rocket science, all the info is out there, it's just a case of looking for it and digesting it instead of getting all Daily Mail about it and concluding that the government are going to stitch us all up. FWIW I agree with the sentiment here, but we're still a long way from a law getting pushed through on the quiet, much less any actual land getting sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroudy Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Just to clarify the situation as it stands at this exact point in time. At the beginning of December 2010 it was announced that the Forestry Commission had been told by DEFRA to sell 40,000ha (circa 15% of the forests it manages in England) to raise £100 million over the four year period 2011–12 to 2014–15. Under the public forest estate disposals program FY 2010-2011 this land is currently being prepared for sale, take it from me i know this for a fact, and if the change in law that is going through the house of lords this week is passed it will clear the way for a total public forest estate sell off. The new public consultation (not the one from 09 that Labour did with a open and honest tag that showed that the public wanted the forest estate to actually grow - or the July to Dec 2010 version) is penciled to be launched this thursday 27th January and is very much built to get the out come required by the coalition. The jist of the consultation will be very much 'how should the public forest estate be privitsed' not 'do you think the public forest estate should be privitised' and not giving the opportunity to actually record objections. Underhand is the way here. Thanks for everyones inputs so far.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroudy Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 ..and i can assure you the information is not 'all out there'. Anyway over.. for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroudy Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 Some success is coming from this today. It seems the governemt is considering backing down on the sale of the forest of dean and the new forest due to increasing public anger (maybe its all down to the Zed forum ). These may still be placed in the hands of charitable trusts but that will only lead to huge undermanagement and the loss of any timber industry we have. Still the bulk of our public woodlands to save. Keep signing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroudy Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 271,583 sigs so far, +50k in 2 days - sorry '3 house inc expenses' tories, people care.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroudy Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Currently 348,107 - http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/save-our-forests This Wednesday there is a crunch vote in Parliament. MPs will vote on a motion demanding a rethink of plans to sell our national forests. The fact this vote is happening shows that MPs have noticed the campaign. But we're not done yet. On Wednesday morning, MPs will open the newspapers to see full-page adverts showing the number of people who’ve taken a stand by signing the Save Our Forests petition. The more of us that sign the petition the more pressure MPs will be under. So many of us have joined this campaign because we all understand something the government doesn’t seem to get yet: that our woodlands and forests are priceless, their ours and once they’re gone they’re gone forever. Please sign and send the link to as many people you know before wednesday. Many thanks all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 ..and i can assure you the information is not 'all out there'. Then how do you know it all? Where's any of the detail in what you're saying? I've given you links to where I'm getting my info from, where anyone can look it over and have their say on it. All you seem to be providing in return is Daily Mail-style rhetoric. Like I said, if what you're saying is true then I support you, but you really need to start providing some kind of evidence here. Given that they're not actually planning to sell every last bit off for car parking (which of course you'd know if you read the publicly accessible data), then the scare tactics are a tad disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroudy Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 If the Public Bodies Bill is passed through the house of Lords (they are currently running into some opposition) it will clear the way for the sell of of the entire English public forest estste. I cant say any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 The English public forest estate accounts for less than 20% of the whole forest area in the UK does it not? That means 80% of it is already in private ownership - yet felling and car park building is not rife. There is a vast difference between selling off forest and giving private companies permission to tarmac the area, which is pretty much what the scare tactics of many online petitions seem to suggest will happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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