Transfer of wood is to go ahead

Arun District Council’s councillor in charge of central services, Dudley Wensley, added his signature to the deal with the Woodland Trust for Worm’s Wood.

This follows the earlier approval of Cllr Paul Dendle, the council’s cabinet member for environmental services, to the council taking on the site of some 20,000 trees.

A council report which accompanied the news of Cllr Wensley’s approval states: “This woodland site is highly valued by local people and there is a strong will for local communities to work in partnership with the greenspace service in helping to develop, manage and shape the future of this site in line with the localism agenda.”

His go-ahead means Arun will formally take control of the wood this March 31 so long as the trust pays for the council’s expenses in the transfer process.

The decision is seen by Arun as safeguarding the future of the wood.

The woodland was established by the trust as one of its millennium projects.

It held the 80 acres between the A259 and northern Middleton on a lease with the council dated July 8, 1999.

The legal agreement took effect from April 1 that year. But the trust now wishes to surrender its lease and relinquish all control of the site.

Arun’s officers are confident its greenspace service can add the land to its existing maintenance contract without any extra expense to the council.