A Community Forest in Central Leicestershire

Executive Summary
This report examines the feasibility of establishing a community forest in Central Leicestershire.  The study focussed on the Stepping Stones Countryside Management Project area – a ring of 32 parishes encircling the city of Leicester.  Stepping Stones has been active since 1992 and is an ideal launching-pad for such a project.

Vision
For the purpose of the study, the following draft Vision was formulated by the Stepping Stones team;  “The Central Leicestershire area will become a mosaic of woodlands, farmland, open spaces and settlements that contributes to a dynamic and energetic multi-functional landscape for people and wildlife now and for the future”.  The project brief initially focussed on the potential for a community forest, but following stakeholder consultation and a review of land use patterns it was felt that planting significantly more woodland than is the English average is not realistic.  Nevertheless, an uplift in woodland cover is a vital component of an ambitious strategy for accessible and multi-functional greenspace of high quality – “Green Infrastructure” for the people of the area. The project definition was altered to the working title of a Community Woodland and Greenspace Project (CWGP).

The report:
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