Woodlands are really special places.
They’re fantastic for nature as well as spaces for people to walk and kids to play.
I’m keen to see more people benefit from woodlands, so I’m delighted that Forestry England is leading work to plant a new 300-acre woodland around Platts Heath and Sandway.
I met people from Forestry England last week to discuss how this new woodland can work best for the local community.
The proposed site of the woodland was at one time threatened with becoming a new lorry park, but it will now be planted with over 150,000 trees instead – a much better future for this part of the Kent countryside.
Work on planting the new woodland at Pleasant Farm is due to start in autumn next year, and I’m looking forward to giving a hand with some of the planting.
But before any trees go in the ground, Forestry England are running a consultation on their plans. This is your chance to have your say on what you would like to see in the new woodland, including whether there should be a pond for dogs to swim in!
The consultation is open until 6 December, and can be found here.
