South Downs take lead on Pondtail Wood action
June 23, 2016
See more recent update on Pondtail Wood
The South Downs National Park Authority has secured agreement from the Environment Agency and Forestry Commission to lead on a coordinated response to restore Pondtail Wood in West Sussex.
Margaret Paren, Chair of the South Downs National Park Authority, said:
“These two government agencies, along with ourselves and Mid Sussex District Council, have key roles to play in fixing this situation but we need to make sure that action is taken and that the local community are kept informed.
“Our Enforcement Notice stipulates that the site owners must remove all deposited soils, waste and drainage channels in order to expose the ancient woodland soils which can then support the return of native species.
“Wherever possible we try to work with site owners to fix breaches in planning, however if the work isn’t carried out by the 23 August deadline we will certainly consider prosecution.
“We appreciate that the local community are as frustrated as we are with the damage to the site and will be sending out regular updates on progress with the case.”
2 June 2016 – Stop Notice and Enforcement Notice issued at Pondtail Wood