Forestry Commission accused of illegally selling off grazing land for parking

Forestry Commission is accused of illegally selling off grazing land in the New Forest used by wild ponies

Forestry Commission is accused of illegally selling off grazing land in the New Forest used by wild ponies

The Forestry Commission is breaking the law by allowing grazing land in the New Forest to be converted into parking, claims the local Verderers, the group responsible for protecting common land.

Official verderer Dominic May said that the Forestry Commission is selling off New Forest land, used by wild ponies for grazing, for “its own commercial gain”. At the Court of Verderers on 16 September, May said: “We have lost huge areas of grazing to now sterile carpets of gravel, with loss of both food for the animals, and a loss of landscape amenity, both of which the New Forest Acts empowers the Verderers to protect.”

The Forestry Commission had failed to consult Natural England, the non-departmental government body responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, said May. This, he argued, was in direct contravention of the Habitats Regulations under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

The Forestry Commission “seem intent to continue this lucrative stream” said May, adding that he had discovered just the previous week another plot had been sold for £4,000 “without reference to the Verderers and without the consent of Natural England. That is illegal.”

“This disgraceful policy of commercialisation of our common land has to stop, and it must stop now,” said May.  

He pointed out that the Verderers, in partnership with the Forestry Commission, was spending £2m a year to improve the New Forest, which included restoring verges by stopping illegal parking and reclaiming grazing land that had been overrun by cars. “But we find ourselves in the absurd situation whereby the Forestry Commission is at the same time selling licences which destroy these very areas! Bonkers.”

May concluded: “Each generation of Verderers finds itself with a battle it has to win, in order to maintain the New Forest as our special place with its ancient system of pastoral farming, which creates the landscape beauty we cherish. It seems we now have another battle to fight: this is battle we have to win. Gentlemen of the Forestry Commission, we are appalled.”

A Forestry Commission spokeswoman told Parking Review: “We will be making a response to the Verderers in due course, but nothing will be made available publically until this time.”