Information on Loughborough

The future of Charnwood Forest

Posted on 04/07/2007
P. Klein

charnwood forest near loughborough

Should Charnwood Forest become a Regional Park, as proposed in the Draft East Midlands Regional Plan, or are there other options for the protection of its special character and beauty?

This was the question posed by a half-day conference organised by Leicestershire County Council on The Future of Charnwood Forest. The conference brought together seventy people from a wide range of organisations to consider the issues affecting the Charnwood Forest area and discuss possible options for its future. Included among the delegates were representatives of the Friends of Charnwood Forest, the CPRE, Natural England, the Woodland Trust, the aggregates industry, the British Geological Survey, and parish and district councils.

Delegates heard from Tony Squires, a local landscape historian, about the rich natural and cultural heritage of the Charnwood Forest area. In terms of wildlife alone, the area supports at least eighty-five species of breeding birds, all of the countys nine species of amphibians and reptiles and an impressive list of insects. Twenty-one of the spider species found in Leicestershire are found only within the Forest.

Heather Broughton, Head of Environment and Heritage Services at Leicestershire County Council, covered the planning history of the Forest, which was at one time considered for designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Other speakers explained the pressures that Charnwood Forest is likely to face over the next twenty years, particularly for mineral working and housing, and the agricultural changes that have taken or are taking place. The Regional Director of Natural England, Geoff Sansome explored the possible options for maintaining Charnwood Forests special value in the future.

Workshop groups sparked some lively debate and the conclusion that action needs to be taken immediately to develop planning policies and other initiatives to protect and enhance the Forest. The proceedings of the conference will be circulated to all delegates and made available on the County Councils website, but this will be only the first step in a wider process which will involve consultation with interested organisations and the public.

Councillor Ernie White, Community Services Cabinet Member at the County Council, chaired the event and commented, "I was most impressed by the knowledge and enthusiasm for Charnwood Forest among the conference delegates. There was strong agreement that the Forest is a special place worthy of special treatment to enhance and protect its character, but that this must be done in a way that is sympathetic not only for visitors but also for its residents and farmers. I felt that there would be goodwill towards an initiative that aimed to deliver such benefits. I hope that goodwill can now be converted into a practical project and that the process of consultation continues in the same positive vein.

Background Information:

Charnwood Forest is an upland tract in north-western Leicestershire, England, adjacent to Loughborough. It is undulating, rocky, picturesque, and mostly barren, though there are some extensive tracts of woodland; its elevation is generally 600 ft (180 m) and upwards, the area exceeding this height being about 6100 acres (25 km²). The highest point, Bardon Hill, is 912 ft (278 m). On its western flank lies an abandoned coalfield, with Coalville and other former mining towns, and granite and honestones are worked. The Forest is an important area for rock climbing and hillwalking. An urn filled with Roman small brass and base silver coins was brought to light by the plough in 1841