§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list all Forestry Commission woodlands currently for sale, and indicate for each 149W (a) into which English or Welsh county or Scottish region it falls, (b) the number of hectares covered and (c) if an access agreement has been made with the local authority guaranteeing continuing public access; [475]
(2) how many Forestry Commission woodlands have been sold since October 1991; how many of these were sold without public access protected; how many hectares of Forestry Commission woodland have been sold from October 1991 to the latest available date; and how many hectares have been sold with public access protected; [476]
(3) how many Forestry Commission woodlands have been sold in each month of 1996 to date, indicating for each month (a) the number sold with access to the public protected and (b) the number sold with access to the public not protected; [477]
(4) if he will list all the Forestry Commission woodlands for which the level of existing access has been assessed under the guidelines on continued public access to Forestry Commission woodlands after sale, giving for each (a) the English or Welsh county or Scottish region into which it falls, (b) the number of hectares covered by the woodland (c) the Forestry Commission's formal judgement regarding the importance of access at that woodland, (d) what consultations were carried out by Forestry Commission staff in making their judgment, (e) whether the woodland has been sold, or is currently for sale, or has been withdrawn from sale and (f) whether a public access agreement is currently in force. [478]
§ Mr. Kynoch[holding answer 28 October 1996]: The subjects of the questions relate to matters undertaken by Forest Enterprise. I have asked its chief executive, Mr. Gordon Cowie, to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Gordon M. Cowie to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 12 November 1996:
The Secretary of State for Scotland has asked me to reply to your four Questions about the sale of Forestry Commission woodlands.1. At Annex A, I enclose a list of all Forestry Commission Woodlands currently for sale, either on the Open Market or by Negotiation.2. The Forestry Commission sold 766 Woodlands covering 39,938 hectares in the period 1 October 1991 to 31 December 1995. Of them 48, 2,421 hectares, have Public Access protected either through a public access agreement or under the sponsorship arrangements.3. I enclose at Annex B, details of the number of Forestry Commission woodlands sold in each month this year.4. I regret that I am unable to answer your final question asking for details of the assessment of the level of public use in each individual case. We have assessed well over 1,500 woodlands since these procedures were introduced, and the details of the assessments are only stored on the individual files which are held in local offices throughout Britain; we have not summarised the assessments in any way. I am sure that you will appreciate, therefore, that it would be a very expensive and time-consuming task to provide the information needed to answer your question.150W
Annex A: List of Forestry Commission woodland areas currently for sale Name of property Area (ha) ENGLAND Avon Greyfield Wood 38.0 151W
Annex A: List of Forestry Commission woodland areas currently for sale Name of property Area (ha) Buckinghamshire Back Lane Wood 7.5 Beech and Howlets Wood 7.0 Greens 1.5 Cornwall Port Eliot Kilquite and Waste 6.6 Wheal Par 5.0 Cumbria Denton Fell 627.0 Devon Deershill 11.0 Knowle Wood 8.0 Durham Stanley Cotts Wood1 31.0 East Yorkshire Black Plantation 14.0 Greenwickdale 43.5 Seaton Old 16.5 Hampshire Basset Green (land at) 1.9 Hereford and Worcestershire Newhouse Wood2 227.5 Hertfordshire Dawley Wood 19.0 Hoo Wood 18.0 Priest Wood 28.0 The Square and Cooks Coppice 5.5 Kent Challock Benacre Wood 25.0 Norfolk West Rudham 78.0 North Yorkshire Cold Kirby Woods1 116.0 Dunnington Woods 80.0 Glaisdale Blocks 141.5 Hayton Wood2 56.0 Hazel Wood2 51.0 Nottinghamshire Roe Wood 47.0 Shropshire Caldy Bank 8.9 Curnia Bank 13.3 Llan Llwyd 3.8 Somerset East Cranmore Wood2 28.0 Higher Bitcombe 30.0 Pink Wood 33.0 The Bushes 15.0 Wanstrow2 45.0 South Yorkshire Green Springs Wood2 12.0 Old Park Wood2 41.0 Wiltshire Stanton Park 58.0 152W
Annex A: List of Forestry Commission woodland areas currently for sale Name of property Area (ha) WALES Aberconwy and Colwyn Blackthorn Covert 21.5 Cefn Mawr 81.7 Cerrigellgwm 20.0 Coed Bryn Kenrick 8.0 Coed Melin Y Moch 12.0 Coed Plas Isaf 6.0 Coed Salisbury 4.0 Gelli Wood 6.0 Gwrych Castle Woodlands 49.0 Caerphilly Bedwas 2.0 Craig Y Parc 16.0 Craig Yr Arail 58.0 Hafodrisclawdd 24.0 Carmarthenshire Allt Cil Y Llyn Fawr 2.5 Allt Maes Yr Awdy 6.0 Allt Pant Glas 9.0 Allt Parc Y Dilfa 14.0 Allt Wig Wen 8.2 Allt Y Fron-Abermarlais 2 5.6 Cathilas 51.4 Cefn Wig 19.0 Coed Caeau Gwynion-Abermarlais 4.8 Coed Glyn Aeron2 57.0 Cwmllannarch 32.0 Falcondale Big Wood 10.0 Farthings Hook 18.0 Gallt Fydr 33.0 Henfeddau Ty Hen and Long Wood 23.0 Maesgwyn 20.0 Martletwy Wood 18.0 Nant Ffrwd 26.0 Penhill Wood 4.0 Pentre Mawr Trebwi 10.0 Rosehill Wood-Abermarlais 3 3.9 Tannerdy and Allt Y Fan Glansefi 22.0 Ty Rhyg2 120.0 Gwynedd Amnodd Wood 87.5 Bodfuan 101.0 Bronaber 10.0 Bryn Hendre 10.0 Brynffynnon 7.0 Brynffynnon Coed 6.0 Caeau Bodfel 28.0 Cefn Glas 12.0 Coed Cefn 16.0 Coed Mynydd Mawr 24.0 Cwm Prysor 56.0 Cymerau2 87.5 Dolymoch2 22.0 Flat Covert 15.0 Frochas 1 7.5 Frochas 2 3.1 Frochas 3 5.4 Frochas 4 7.4 Gelli Dywyll2 25.0 Graianog2 19.0 Hafotty Covert 35.0 Pengwern 15.0 Rhiwbach and Tyddyn Bach2 106.0 Tan Y Clawdd2 13.0 153W
Annex A: List of Forestry Commission woodland areas currently for sale Name of property Area (ha) Ynys Creua 67.0 Ynys Galed 22.0 Ty Coch North 7.1 Neath and Port Talbot Graig Ynysgollen 10.0 Nant Y Stalwyn2 44.0 Powys Cefn Derw Cil Owen 10.0 Cefn Perfa Wood 3.4 Cil Llawyn2 15.0 Freezeland2 10.5 Geufron 10.1 Gloddfa Nursery 5.2 Gorther Rough 8.0 Husky Hall 1.8 Llys Coppice and Penllys 16.0 Lower Ceulannau 3.8 Lower Wig 2.2 Penycarreg East 3.0 Penycarreg West 11.0 Penycastle Wood 10.4 Pool Plantation and Kerry Hill 12.7 Rock Wood and Fronfraith Wood2 30.5 The Smatcher2 35.5 Tyn Y Cwm 3.5 Y Wern2 453.0 SCOTLAND Dumfries and Galloway Cairnhead1 1,361.0 Euchenhead1 689.0 Glaisters 383.0 Glenluce1 40.0 Polskeoch1 830.0 Shinnelhead1 843.0 Grampian Auchinroath Plantation 62.0 Balmakewan (3222M) 0.6 Haremoss 21.0 Highland Ardbrecknish2 626.0 Kirkton 92.0 Orbost Plantation 575.0 Waternish 1,159.0 Strathclyde Ardlamont1 749.0 Knockbain 145.0 Little Clyde 650.0 Scoor Wood, Lot 5 360.0 Tayside Easter Muirhead 34.4 Newbigging and Braedownie 413.0 Warroch 68.0 1CPA agreement being negotiated.2CPA agreement completed.
Annex B: Forestry Commission areas sold in 1996 Without CPA agreement With CPA agreement Public access protected1 January 18 3 — February 9 3 — March 16 7 — April 10 1 1 May 13 1 — June 10 3 — July 13 1 — August 6 1 — September 6 3 — October 6 2 — 1Sold under Forestry Commission Sponsorship arrangements.