Row over protected status bid for 'cherished ancient' York woods

Hagg Wood (Image: Martin Dawes/Geograph)

A BID for a York woods said to date from the reign of William the Conqueror has sparked objections.

An application to designate Hagg Wood, near Dunnington, as an Asset Community Value (ACV) has been lodged with York Council.

Dunnington Parish Council's application stated the cherished ancient woodland was a breathing part of the community's heritage, ecology and wellbeing.

But three objectors claimed its community role had been exaggerated and the parish council had been pressured into making the application by campaigners.

A council report stated the site did not meet the criteria to be listed as an ACV and recommended refusing the application.

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It comes as the bid is set to go before a council decision session on Tuesday, October 6.

ACV status is granted to buildings or sites which are deemed to further social interests and well-being in a community, or has recently done so or would in the future.

Those deemed to qualify can include cultural and sporting venues or those found to contribute to social well-being in a local community.

If ACV status is granted to a site and its owner then decides to sell it, they will be made to wait for six weeks to give eligible local groups the chance to come forward with bids.

A full six-month moratorium is then triggered if a potential bidder comes forward, otherwise the building can then be sold on the open market.

Dunnington Parish Council's application stated Hagg Wood could be traced back to the Domesday Book and it was part of the Ouse and Derwent Forest in medieval times.

The application stated Hagg Wood could be traced back to the reign of William the Conqueror (Image: Newsquest)

It added it was established as a community woodland in 2003 for five years following an agreement between landowners the Church of England and the Forestry Commission.

The application stated: "Hagg Wood is a cherished planted ancient woodland on the outskirts of Dunnington parish, in the parish of Kexby and Scoreby.

"While the agreement was initially for five years, the land, and the many paths over it, have since then continued to be widely used by many residents of the adjacent urban area for healthy exercise and mental refreshment.

"Hagg Wood is deeply woven into the social and cultural fabric of Dunnington and Kexby with a combined population of around 3,500 people who have access.

"Residents use the wood for walking, running, bird watching, dog walking and horse riding, together with quiet reflection."

But the objectors stated while there were two public right of ways through the woods, the rest of it was privately owned by the Church Commissioners for England.

They added the Friends of Hagg Wood campaign group had instigated the application and the parish council's efforts were better spent elsewhere.

Council officers stated the Church Commissioners' agents Fisher German had advised the site was principally a managed forestry asset.

They added the only existing physical evidence of the 2003 agreement between the Forestry Commission and the Friends of Hagg Wood was an unsigned draft memorandum of understanding.