Four Hemel parks to be made "more attractive" than Ashridge Estate in bid to protect ancient woodland

Four Hemel parks could be made “more attractive” than Ashridge Estate in a bid to protect the National Trust’s largest ancient woodland.

Conservationists fear new homes in Herts, Beds and Bucks will harm Ashridge, which attracts around 1.7 million visitors each year.

Dacorum Borough Council has plans to expand Bunkers Park and develop three others as “suitable alternatives” to the attraction – Gadebridge Park, Howe Grove Wood and Margaret Lloyd Park.

The Hertfordshire authority believes the move could unlock planning permission for 2,176 new homes.

There are already Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspaces (SANGs) in Dacorum, which the borough council set up when it adopted the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation Mitigation Strategy in 2022.

These are at Bunkers Park and Chipperfield Common.

According to the mitigation strategy, recreation in the 2,000-hectare Ashridge Estate causes vegetation wear, soil compaction, erosion and litter, which are linked with species loss and contamination.

Dog mess and urine is “an issue”, the document adds, and den-building has “implications for invertebrates” like beetles when deadwood is disturbed.

SANGs are set up to “absorb” the pressure which new homes could put on the Ashridge Estate through added visitor numbers.

Housebuilders in Dacorum whose proposals might affect Ashridge Estate must either contribute towards new SANGs or pay a £4,251.71-per-new-home tariff to support parks managed by the council.

Any development of 10 homes or more must sit within five kilometres (3.1 miles) of a strategic SANG.

According to council papers, released ahead of a meeting on Wednesday, January 10, “council-owned SANG is a finite resource”.

They add: “The council will need to bring more SANG sites online to provide a future supply of new homes.

“Plans for Gadebridge Park are advanced and it is expected that this will shortly become available as the next SANG site.”

Margaret Lloyd Park could be extended and become “an upgraded park that would receive a higher standard of maintenance”.

A proposed Howe Grove SANG would plug a Gadebridge to Grovehill gap to create a greenspaces network.

One core objective of the 2022 mitigation strategy is to “deflect visitors away” from Ashridge Estate.

Dacorum’s SANGs are expected to have a minimum 2.3-2.5km (1.4-1.6mi) circular walk, mostly unsurfaced paths, semi-natural space, no intrusions from busy roads or buildings, and unrestricted access within the site with plenty of space for dogs to exercise freely.

Ashridge Estate is home to the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly, fallow deer, tawny owls and the lesser-spotted woodpecker.

It is the real-life enchanted forest backdrop to Disney’s Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie.

The National Trust has launched a campaign called Protecting our Roots at the site.

“The volume of feet, tyres, paws and hooves on the same ground is causing the ancient soil and the special biodiversity within it to become worn away,” according to the campaign webpage.

“Wildflowers and special plants are getting trampled and cannot continue to grow year after year. Birds, insects, butterflies, mammals and other wildlife are losing the vital habitats they need to survive.

“The current hard-standing car parks are not big enough to carry the weight of visitors who arrive by car, forcing people to park on the badly eroded grass verges along Monument Drive.”