Six Peak District woodlands are put up for sale

Fancy owning your own slice of the Peak District countryside?
Slack Hall Wood, near Chapel-en-le-Frith, which has been put up for sale by the Peak District National Park Authority.Slack Hall Wood, near Chapel-en-le-Frith, which has been put up for sale by the Peak District National Park Authority.
Slack Hall Wood, near Chapel-en-le-Frith, which has been put up for sale by the Peak District National Park Authority.

The Peak District National Park Authority has announced it is to sell off some of its woodlands.

Six initial sites have been selected - Coronation Plantation, Nabb’s Quarry Wood, Newhaven Plantation, Shay Bends Wood, Slack Hall Wood and Wetton Wood - with a similar number expected to follow later in the year.

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The announcement comes after a review of properties owned by the authority.

Jane Chapman, assistant director at the Peak District National Park Authority, said: “Having established or improved these woods – often by reclaiming former rubbish tips or quarry sites - then protected and maintained them over many years, we have fulfilled our primary objective as a national park.

“We now want to return these natural assets to the community, as we are reducing our liabilities at a time of budget reductions and would like to make the best possible use of the resources we have.

“The sales will allow us to focus on the protection, improvement and maintenance of our remaining woodlands.’’

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The sites up for sale include Nabb’s Quarry Wood, a 0.44 hectare site near Wildboarclough which was reclaimed from quarry land in early 1970s, and the 3.1 hectare Slack Hall Wood, situated on the road to Winnats Pass, near Chapel-en-le-Frith.

The 1.8 hectare Newhaven Plantation, off the A515 at Newhaven, was purchased by the authority in 2005.

In total, the authority manages 120 woodlands, covering approximately 443 hectares of land.

The portfolio has been acquired since the designation of the national park, with the aim of securing important landscape features, rescuing woodlands which were deemed to be under threat or in need of restoration.

The woodlands to be sold:

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Coronation Plantation, near Hathersage (1.14 ha): Bought in early 1970s to ‘maintain landscape stability’

Nabb’s Quarry Wood, Wildboarclough (0.44ha): reclaimed from quarry land in early 1970s

Newhaven Plantation, Newhaven on A515 (1.8ha): bought in 2005, partially felled and replanted.

Shay Bends Wood, on A623 Baslow to Calver road (0.8ha): Woodland on banks of River Derwent

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Slack Hall Wood, near Chapel-en-le-Frith, (3.1ha): Recent cutting completed to pre-empt future traffic issues.

Wetton Wood, above Wetton (0.16ha): Former rubbish tip, now walled and established broadleaf and conifer woodland