Wood noob from Derbyshire

[MartinB]

Hi Martin
It takes ages started the processes in September and it's only just gone through finally.
Where are you in Derbyshire I'm near Clay Cross

Matt

Hi Matt,
we're near Derby.

I hope it doesn't take that long with our wood.
Makes you wonder what they spend all that time doing.

[Bearwood]

Cheers for the info MattF. Sounds like a solid plan to be honest. Our wood will be put into trust once we decide our wills and/or cease to have any more children.

Both my wife and myself want to try and preserve the future of the woodland 'as-is', therefore if we put it into trust we feel that it has more protection than if purely inherited down the line, where it may be subjected to divorce claims etc.

[MartinB]

As part of our searches on our potential wood, we've discovered that there is a Tree preservation Order in place.
We're not sure yet but it is very likely to be covering the whole wood.

Is this going to be a major pain considering one of the things we wanted to use the wood for was firewood (probably around 15 cubic metres a year) and best avoided or are they not as bad as I am led to believe?

Thanks.

[Bearwood]

If there is a TPO in place, it usually relates to a particular tree or a group of trees of aesthetic, cultural, ecological or historic value. I believe if the entire wood is of value in such a manner, then a SSSI or similar will be covering the wood.

In basic terms, buying a wood with a SSSI or numerous TPOs within is a lot like owning a house which is a listed building. You'll need to be very patient with the authorities regarding any work you do in the woodland, and no doubt they will require a comprehensive Woodland Management Plan. You will certainly be prevented from cutting down trees with TPOs unless they are overturned on the grounds of the trees being a danger to the public etc, and if its SSSI then any work will have to take into account the ecological fragility of the area and mitigate the impact it may have.

[MartinB]

The search didn't reveal any SSSIs, just a TPO.

The solicitor said she had requested a copy from the seller's solicitors, but to try and save time, we contacted the local council and enquired about it.
The person we spoke to said she would get a hard copy for us but said she was pretty sure it would be a TPO for the whole wood not just individual trees.

The wood is on it's own surrounded by fields with other woods about 1/4 of a mile away so I assume someone decided it looked pretty.

[The Barrowers]

Hello

Your local council web site may list TPO in force

I believe the council must review regularly and have a reason for continuation of a TPO

B and T

[Bearwood]

Hmmm. Sounds very strange indeed that there are multiple TPO's in place. Have you tried using the Land Information Search on the Forestry Commission website?:
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-5zsrct
It may give you a better idea of the site's designation, even if it falls outside of the scope of a SSSI. I note that you say the site is surrounded by fields, but is it in a scenic area or not too far from an existing town/village? It may be that TPO's exist on trees facing, or adjacent to a road or existing dwellings to maintain the impression of woodland, the TPO's may not penetrate deeper into the woodland?

[MartinB]

Thanks for the help bearwood.
We are planning on speaking to the council's tree officer to see if we can get a better idea of things like what sort of restrictions we could expect if we bought the wood and if any timber extraction would be allowed.

[Bearwood]

Good plan Martin. Often a tête à tête with these folks can be quite revealing about how things work, or are likely to affect your plans.

I wish you all the best, and hope the outcome is a positive one. Please keep us updated.

[MartinB]

It's not looking good.
A message has been left on the landline phone saying that the TPO is for the whole wood. We will still have a chat but it's a bit of a blow as one of our tick boxes was the ability to extract all our firewood from wherever we buy.
We have also discovered that the land in the wood has a risk of it being contaminated land and it is on the councils "to be investigated" list so we will have to indemnify ourselves at the very least.

Add to this a few other little problems and it's starting to not look good.
It's not the only wood out there afterall but it is so close to our house.


Edited for bda speling