FAMOUS figures have added their voices to calls to halt the sale of publicly-owned forests in England.
Kielder and Hamsterley forests, as well as others in the North East are among Forestry Commission-managed sites which could be sold to private owners under Government proposals.
Nearly 90 well-known names, including Durham University Chancellor Bill Bryson, also the president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, and designer Wayne Hemingway, who created the Dunston Staiths housing estate, signed a letter from the Save England’s Forests campaign.
It urged the Government to suspend any decision on the sale until the public has been fully consulted. Thousands of people have already signed an online petition against the proposals.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) insists no decision has yet been taken.
The protest has been launched against a bill currently going through Parliament.
The Government has already announced it intends to sell off 15% of Forestry Commission land in the hope of raising as much as £100m.
But according to campaigners plans now on the table involve selling the remaining 85% of the 620,000 acres of land owned by the Forestry Commission in England.
Opponents say the “privatisation” of the forests will mean there is no guarantee of access for the public.
Singer Annie Lennox, actress Dame Judi Dench, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and artist Tracey Emin are among those to have signed the letter. It says: “We believe the Government’s decision to pursue legislation to allow the disposal of all England’s public forest estate is wrong.
“We, who love, use and share the English forests believe that such a sale would be misjudged and shortsighted.
“Only 18% of English woodland remains under state protection for the benefit of the public. It is our national heritage.
“We are an island nation yet more people escape to the forest than to the seaside. Our forests nurture countless species of native plants and wildlife. We have relied on them since time immemorial yet we are only a heartbeat in their history. We, the undersigned, believe it unconscionable, that future generations will no longer enjoy the guarantee of a public forest estate.”
In a statement, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “We will consult on our proposals later this week and will invite interest from a wide range of potential private and civil society partners on a number of new ownership options and the means to secure public benefits. No decisions have been taken on any particular sites. The Forestry Commission has and will play an important role in protecting and expanding the trees, woods and forests in England.”
