Councillors agreed unanimously at last Monday’s meeting of the Full Town Council (Monday 3 November) to ‘invite’ Forestry England ‘to present the proposals at a future council meeting’. What does this mean, and why? The Postern Hill campsite is an important element of Marlborough’s tourism facilities. Many come to the town and stay on Postern Hill and this feeds directly into the retail and hospitality economies as many staying there will eat and drink in Marlborough’s pubs, restaurants and cafes, as well as spend in the shops on the High Street and beyond. But maybe, the campsite is no more…….
The future of Savernake and the campsite is, it would appear, to be as clear as an Autumn seasonal mist that settles on the trees of Savernake Forest.
Forestry England have drawn up – apparently – a revised ‘Forest Plan’. They did something similar in 2022, undr the heading of ‘Our Shared Forest – A Land Management Plan’. But at the same time a very different document, addressing exactly the same issues as the published plan was drawn up as an ‘internal discussion document’, which was very different. Closing access to the Forest, and more. Drawn up by a senior official – the Forest Management Director of the West England Forest District, Kevin Stannard.
What has happened recently regarding the campsite and its closure seems to be far more in line with this ‘internal’ document than anything issued publicly. The previous operators of the campsite stepped away from continuing as operators ‘for financial reasons’. They were paying a very high ground rent to Forestry England, the site itself was popular, but lacked some very basic facilities which the level of ground rent meant that an operator could never invest to put in – showers, proper access to electricity for vans, caravans and family tents to use – and the real attraction of the campsite was it’s beauty, its location, and its proximity to Marlborough and the other nearby tourism ‘magnets’ such as Avebury. Compared with most other well run sites and it was lacking in the basics. It needed investment and Forestry England’s charges made that impossible for the operator to put in, and Forestry England have never appeared to recognise this as a worthwhile investment.
So what is the Foresty England ‘vision’ for the campsite – and Savernake as a whole? Not clear, hence the ‘request’ from the Town Council to explain.
Forestry England have been offering a new lease to any prospective campsite operator, but only – we understand – for a maximum of two years. The facilities, the need to invest, and the level of ground rent don’t exactly stack up to make this an attractive proposition. So what do Forestry England really want? What are their real plans for Savernake – campsite and the whole forest? Click here to read and download this ‘internal discussion document’ which appears to be contradictory in itself by stating that the facilities currently in place – ‘their popularity is having a detrimental impact on the ecological values’, and then going on to suggest a paid car park (ANPR managed), cafe, toilet and play facilities and more. mWhich would likely create even more ecological detriment than what is there at present. Contradictory.
Let’s see whether Forestry England will accept the Town Council ‘invitation’. Forestry England are a Government Agency. We own them. They are there for us and the Government of this country, and they should be open and straightforward about what they intend for Savernake Forest.
Barrelhouse launch ‘Open For Business’ at St Peter’s on Sat 15th Nov
