Long Lands Common unveils first steps to Harrogate's new community-owned woodland

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The Long Lands Common team, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have nearly 3,000 share applicants.

"For all of us at Nidd Gorge Community Action and Long Lands Common this promises to be an exciting and uplifting stage in our work after the long hard slog of the last four years."

The aim of the campaign was to win the support of the public, businesses and community groups to buying community shares in Long Lands Common Ltd – a Community Benefit Society established to transform two large fields next to Nidderdale Greenway into a wildlife haven and public green space, owned and controlled by the community.

Such was the incredible response, the Long Lands Common appeal smashed the original £300,000 target in just four months and went on to raise more than £340,000.

Volunteers are hopeful they will be able to issue the remainder of the certificates to members of the public who bought them to coincide with purchase of the land March 1.

As well as preparing to issue the certificates, the Long Lands Common team are also busy preparing for the completion of the land sale by turning their attention to the design of the site and the plans for its transformation into a community woodland nature reserve.

With this in mind, the Long Lands Common team have been holding site meetings with prospective landscape architects and working with our ecologist from the Woodmeadow Trust to discuss site design.

Following these meetings and our discussions as a board, it is their intention to take a softly, softly approach to the transformation.

This will allow the team time to both observe and interact and use slow and small solutions at the Long Lands Common site - key principles of permaculture design.

The primary focus in the first year after completion will be public access.

This will include establishing entrances from both the east and west of the site and laying paths so that the site is accessible to all and allows everybody the chance to observe and interact before they proceed with the creation of different habitats.

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