Agenda item

Sue Wakley-Stoyle stated that the woods were gifted to the Woodland Trust in 1991 by her late uncle Percy Wakley. She asked that the legacy of her uncle (who’s ashes are buried in the woods) was maintained and care and attention was given to any excavation. She asked if a plaque could be placed in the woods to commemorate her late uncle and if this area could still be referred to by his name.

The Appropriate Assessment for the final 1137 homes at Cranbrook concluded that there was a requirement for an additional 15.2ha of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) to mitigate the impact of the houses. Only 1097 homes would actually be provided, reducing the requirement to 14.4ha. Clyst Meadows Country Park would provide 10.24Ha of SANG, meeting part of this requirement, but leaving a balance of 4.16Ha which would need to be met to fully mitigate the early phases of Cranbrook.

Percy Wakley Woods was a 5.4 Ha woodland owned by the Woodland Trust, located within the Grange phase of Cranbrook. Without external support or long-term management funding, the Woodland Trust did not have the capacity to absorb the additional management required to meet visitor pressures likely to arise as neighbouring housing and SANG were delivered. The Woodland Trust had offered to lease the woods for a peppercorn rent to the Council, in order that it could be

enhanced and managed as SANG and integrated with adjacent proposed SANG areas.

A series of access improvements were proposed in 2 phases. An investment and additional funding reserve would provide in-perpetuity (minimum 80 years) to meet annual maintenance costs and capital replacement costs when required. The total budget was £880,000, which could be funded through s106 agreements relating to Habitat Regulations mitigation at Cranbrook.

The Council’s Countryside Team would implement enhancements and manage the woodlands until adjacent SANG areas were completed. At this stage the Council would seek to transfer the lease of and management of the woods, with funding to secure in-perpetuity management, to the Responsible Organisation who were managing the adjacent areas, to provide a consistent and efficient management approach.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

1.     Delegates authority to the Assistant Director – Countryside, Environment & Ecology in consultation with the Assistant Director Place Assets and Leisure, Director of Finance and Director of Governance, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holders, to agree and finalise the lease of Percy Wakley Woods from the Woodland Trust subject to the completion of appropriate legal documentation.

2.     Notes the intention to sub-let Percy Wakley Woods to the future Responsible Organisation, to provide a continuous management regime for SANG land at the Grange, Cranbrook, and delegates authority to the Assistant Director – Countryside, Environment & Ecology, in consultation with the Assistant Director Place Assets and Leisure, Director of Finance and Director of Governance, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holders, to agree management arrangements, transfer of funding to ensure in-perpetuity management of the woods and finalise the sub-tenancy arrangements subject to the completion of appropriate legal documentation.

3.     Approves the budget of £502,000 from allocated s106 funding to fund Phase 1 - site improvement works and creation of a £300,000 investment to fund the in-perpetuity management of the woods, with a further budget of £378,000 (for phase 2) to fund further site improvement works to connect Percy Wakley Woods to adjacent areas of SANG at the Grange, Cranbrook as they are delivered on site and provide additional funding to support in-perpetuity management of the woods.

4.     Delegates authority to the Assistant Director – Countryside, Environment & Ecology, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holders, to enter into appropriate contracts to deliver site improvement works within the agreed budget in accordance with the Council‘s contract standing orders and financial regulations.

5.     Delegates authority to the Assistant Director – Countryside, Environment & Ecology, in consultation with Director of Finance, Director of Governance, and the Assistant Director Planning Strategy & Development Management, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holders, to finalise the arrangements for the SANG, including site enhancements, operational management arrangements and creation of an investment for the in -perpetuity management of the site.

REASON:

Delivery of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) at Percy Wakley Woods was necessary to ensure the Council met statutory requirements when permitting housing through the Local Plan; this included addressing the current SANG deficit for Cranbrook to secure compliance with the Habitat Regulations and s106 agreements.