Project to regrow the ancient Royal Forest of Knaresborough enters a new phase with shares launch

Until this year the Long Lands Community had 30 acres of land in common ownership - Long Lands Common, a community woodland nature reserve bought in 2021 with the proceeds of a 2020 Community Shares offer that raised £400,000.

In July 2024 - with the aid of a £410,000 grant from the George A Moore Foundation, additional donations of £100,000 and a £300,000 philanthropic loan from We Have The Power - they are purchasing 60 more acres of green belt land to create Knaresborough Forest Park and the Long Lands Community Food Forest.

WHAT IS LONG LANDS COMMON?

Long Lands Common is the first ever community owned woodlands project for Harrogate and Knaresborough, established in 2021 on farmland that was previously threatened by the building of a major road through the green belt.

The transformation from farmland to nature reserve, with the implementation of a woodland creation plan and grant funding, is well underway.

With the help of regular volunteers and grants from the White Rose Forest, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and DEFRA, they have already created a mosaic of habitats by planting trees, creating new hedgerows and woodland, digging three new ponds and sowing a wildflower meadow.

Long Lands Common borders the Nidderdale Greenway between Bilton and Starbeck in the west and extends eastwards towards Knaresborough.

WHAT IS KNARESBOROUGH FOREST PARK?

Knaresborough Forest Park is the latest project of the the Long Lands Community - a large community-owned wood meadow and public green space that extends the wildlife corridor eastwards, from the fields bordering Long Lands Common all the way to Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough.

It also runs alongside the popular Beryl Burton Way public path between Bilton and Knaresborough.

George Eglese, associate of the Institute of Place Management and one of the directors of Long Lands Common Limited, commented “This is an opportunity for the community to take direct control of substantial areas of the greenbelt and be a part of securing it for future generations – a place where both people and nature can thrive.”

The creation of Knaresborough Forest Park will bring part of the ancient Royal Forest of Knaresborough back into community ownership, after it was enclosed in 1770. Knaresborough Town Council are planning an event to commemorate this enclosure as part of FEVA on 13 August this summer, when there will be an opportunity to view the land and talk to members of the Long Lands team about their plans for it.

WHAT IS LONG LANDS COMMUNITY FOOD FOREST?

Long Lands Community Food Forest is a concept, developed by a group of Longlanders, to create a site for growing food on one of our new fields bordering Bilton Hall Drive - using forest gardening, traditional horticulture and permaculture design practices to develop community participation in food production and enhance the resilience of our local food supply and economy.

While other sites in the Long Lands Community could be considered to have a 70/30 bias in favour of nature, the Food Forest can be seen as 70/30 in favour of humans - community volunteering, public education, and preservation of heritage food varieties.

BUYING SHARES

The Long Lands Community need to raise £300,000 in donations and community shares sales to pay off the bridging loan from We Have The Power as soon as possible.

If the full sum is not raised, they risk having to resell some of the land in order to pay off the loan.

It could then potentially be purchased by developers or other buyers with less interest in protecting our natural world, putting the bio-diversity of this precious area, next to the Nidd Gorge, at risk.

The good news is that the share offer raised over £15,000 within hours of opening, proving that there is already substantial support from the community for the project.

Check out the website: https://www.longlandscommon.org/