The new woodland planted at Beeston will increase biodiversity and provide additional green space for residents of Sandy and Beeston 

The site owned by Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) is located on a busy throughway adjacent to the A1 and the A603, making it very visible to passing traffic. Due to its positioning the ex-arable land was seen as an opportunity to create additional green space in an area that has seen significant growth with new residential and commercial development. The Sandy Green Wheel will also run through the new woodland, linking publicly accessible routes and green spaces around communities.

The Forest of Marston Vale (FoMV) team attended Sandy Council meetings to discuss planting which included a regulatory process to obtain permission to plant from the Forestry Commission. Northill Parish Council were consulted as the site lies partly within the parish boundary.  The Parish Council were very supportive of the new woodland. The work carried out included soil analysis to test soil types and compaction levels to guide on suitable species, as well as archaeological ground surveys due to the sites proximity to Sandy which was a Roman settlement. 

Work started in December 2022, in partnership with CBC to deliver 22.64ha of mixed woodland.

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Project impact

Natural flood management and water quality 

The newly planted trees are protected from deer browsing by using Tubex Nature shelters. Tubex Nature shelters are manufactured using a bio-based blend which includes sugarcane, corn and starch. The shelters can be left to biodegrade in situ and will, overtime, start to degrade and breakdown into water and CO2 through a microbiological process. 

Both Fields are located close to a major watercourse that is managed by the Internal Drainage Waterboard that is prone to flooding during prolonged spells of rainfall that also affects adjacent areas of the

Public access and management

The woodland will provide additional public access that connects to the wider public rights of way network. A public footpath enters Field 1 from Vinegar Hill and will connect to internal grass tracks. Field 2 also has a public footpath from Vinegar Hill which starts from the opposite side of the road from the footpath into Field 1 and exits along the southern boundary of the field onto the un-named road into Beeston (red dotted lines on map indicate public footpaths). Once the Sandy Green Wheel alignment is complete cycle and bridlepaths will also be accessible to the public. The community orchard will be managed by Bedfordshire’s Rural Communities Charity in partnership with local residents from Sandy and Beeston and hopefully encourage more community involvement with the management of the adjacent new woodland.

Enhancing wildlife  

Going from intensive farming to new woodland will have massive environmental and ecological gains. Newly created woodland increases the abundance of insects between establishing trees, attracting birds, particularly species of open country such as sky larks and linnets. The abundance of insects also attracts foraging bats; up to nine species of bats have been found to use even very early-stage woodland. Whilst many of the specialist plants associated with ancient woodland will not colonise for many years, some, other woodland plants, such as lords-and–ladies, herb-Robert, wood avens and honeysuckle are faster to colonise. The addition of the community orchard will provide even more opportunities for wildlife to make their homes. A site visit in late March 2023 witnessed sky larks and Oyster Catchers above and within both areas of newly planted woodland. 

Contribution to Net Zero

The newly planted trees will contribute to Central Bedfordshire Councils target to become carbon neutral and succeed in its aim of empowering residents, community groups, schools and businesses in Central Bedfordshire to help them mitigate climate change.

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