BISHOP’S WOOD & BATCHWORTH HEATH GREENSPACE ACTION PLAN (GAP) 2018 – 2023

Briefing Document

July 2017

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-2023 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 CONTENTS Page

1 Introduction 1

2 Background 2

3 Site Map 3

4 Review of Progress 4

5 Greenspace Action Plan (GAP) 2018-23 5

6 Community Engagement and Plan Production Process 7

7 Stakeholder Feedback 9

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-2023 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 1 INTRODUCTION

This briefing document has been produced to guide the first stage of engagement that will support the writing of a Greenspace Action Plan (GAP) for Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath. The GAP will be produced by the Countryside Management Service (CMS) in partnership with Council (TRDC). The plan will cover a five year period from 2018 to 2023.

GAPs are map based management plans and are invaluable documents that give focus and direction to the running and improvement of all types of open space. They provide a clear, logical process to determine the activities that should take place on a site, over a stated period of time, in order to meet agreed project objectives and core aspirations.

It is our intention to engage the community in a structured way to ensure that stakeholders are fully aware of the plan production process. Engagement will be encouraged and opportunities to feed into the plan in a constructive and timely way promoted locally. This document is intended to initiate and support this process.

This document has been broken down into easy to read sections.

Sections 2 and 3 provide background information, historical context and a review of current management operations.

Section 4 outlines the aim and objectives of the plan and how we intend to use and present the document.

Section 5 summarises the engagement methodology that forms a part of the GAP production process, specifying how and when stakeholders will be involved.

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-23 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 Page 1 of 9 2 BACKGROUND

Bishop’s Wood is a 38.5 hectare woodland between and Northwood in the south-western corner of . It is largely ancient semi-natural woodland (ASNW) and the majority of this is considered to be plantation on ancient woodland sites (PAWS). It is a Local Wildlife Site (89/003), became a Country Park in 1988 and lies within the Green Belt. There are no public rights of way across Bishop’s Wood, but there is unrestricted public access. The London Outer Orbital Path (LOOP) passes through both this site and Batchworth Heath.

Batchworth Heath is a 3.8 hectare green space 300m east of Bishop’s Wood. It is Registered Common Land (CL019), part of the Batchworth Heath Conservation Area, within the Green Belt and incorporates the Batchworth Heath Local Wildlife Site (89/001).

The plan will include Long Spring, a 4.0 hectare ASNW and Local Wildlife Site (89/011) north-west of Bishop’s Wood. All three sites are owned by TRDC and managed by TRDC in partnership with CMS. A further section of land between Bishop’s Wood and Batchworth Heath, a 3.9 hectare Local Wildlife Site (89/030) referred to as White Hill Wood, will also be considered; although this is not currently in the ownership of TRDC, it has proved impossible to identify the owner over a number of years.

Despite its location, Bishop’s Wood lies within a rural wooded landscape, surrounded by agricultural land and other woodland and with no significant settlements in its immediate vicinity. Batchworth Heath has a more suburban feel, being dissected by the A404 between Rickmansworth and Northwood and several other minor roads, and located on the edge of Northwood.

Bishop’s Wood comprises three contiguous woodlands: Park Wood to the north, Bishop’s Wood to the west and Lockwell Wood to the east. It occupies the shallow valley of a stream flowing from east to west, which ends at a swallow hole within the woodland. The wood has a wide structural diversity, with both mature and more recent mixed plantation, much of which has been heavily thinned, and remnants of hornbeam and hazel coppice reflecting its historic character. Relic populations of heather on more acid soils reflect the likelihood that this area was once managed as wood pasture. There are several rides, which have been recently restored, and other open areas within the woodland created by thinning.

A car park at the southern end of the wood provides access to a network of mainly surfaced permissive paths and bridleways, including an easy access loop. Benches, interpretation boards and a picnic area can be found around the main walking routes. The LOOP provides the only pedestrian access to the site, from Harefield to the west and Moor Park to the east, via Batchworth Heath.

The main ecological interest of Batchworth Heath, an ancient common, is its unimproved acid grassland, which is complemented by neutral grassland, a pond with diverse marginal flora, scrub and secondary woodland. Its recreational potential is limited by the several roads which cross the common. Public access is unrestricted.

These sites are closely linked, with complementary habitats. A combined GAP provides the opportunity to develop these links, to improve connectivity between the sites and to explore ways in which their management can be coordinated.

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-23 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 Page 2 of 9 3 SITE MAP

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-23 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 Page 3 of 9 4 REVIEW OF PROGRESS

This GAP is written in the context of an ongoing long-term woodland management plan for Bishop’s Wood, approved by the Forestry Commission. This plan covered the period from 2012-2032, with a detailed work programme for 2012-17, and can be found online: http://www.threerivers.gov.uk/egcl-page/woodlands. The previous management plan for Batchworth Heath covered the period from 2008 to 2013. This new plan will incorporate and build on the priorities of the Bishop’s Wood woodland management plan while developing a new set of detailed actions for 2018-23.

It is thought that Bishop’s Wood was historically managed as coppice with standards, with the likelihood of areas of wood pasture, reflected now by relic populations of heather. However its tree stock was devastated by the demands of two world wars. In the 1960s it was largely replanted with conifers in line with forestry practice at the time, and managed by a programme of thinning and maintenance. In 1976 fire damaged several hectares of young plantation, which were subsequently replanted between 1978 and 1980. Bishop’s Wood was denotified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1986 due to this coniferisation and the resultant reduction in floristic diversity.

In 2010 and 2011 significant felling took place with many of the best conifers removed. This left some areas with little canopy cover, which have since become dominated by bracken, bramble and dense birch regeneration. This is a particular issue in compartment 7.

A major project with joint funding from TRDC and the Forestry Commission’s English Woodland Grant Scheme brought an investment of almost £250,000 to Bishop’s Wood between 2014 and 2017. This has greatly improved the overall condition of the woodland through sensitive forestry works such as thinning and ride widening. It has also dramatically improved facilities for visitors, including resurfacing the main paths, installing new benches, picnic tables and interpretation boards and enhancing the car park.

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-23 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 Page 4 of 9 5 GREENSPACE ACTION PLAN (GAP) 2018-2023

The Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-23 will be a simple, easy to read plan for use by officers of TRDC, CMS officers and members of the public, and will act as a guide to the work of volunteers. The plan will be largely map based, with sequential, annual management maps to show the actions planned for each year. The resulting change will be represented on the map for the following year. The plan will be costed and potential funding sources identified; once the final GAP is agreed, external funding will be sought to enable the plan to be delivered. The document will be reviewed annually to ensure it remains effective and relevant.

The aim and objectives of the GAP will be as follows:

Aim

This plan will build on the successes of the last five years of management, which have brought the woodland back into positive conservation management and dramatically improved visitor facilities. As a former SSSI Bishop’s Wood was once a site of national conservation importance and it remains one of the most ecologically important woodlands in Hertfordshire. Our aspiration is to restore and link together the valuable surviving fragments of ancient woodland and heathland habitats, working towards a site which has regained its previous conservation value. Alongside this we will continue to focus on public access and engagement to increase the number of visitors and build links between Bishop’s Wood and Batchworth Heath.

Objectives

1. A welcoming place To enhance the experience of using Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath for regular users and visitors. 1A Improve waymarking of the path between Bishop’s Wood and Batchworth Heath. 1B Improve maintenance of unsurfaced paths within Bishop’s Wood and between Bishop’s Wood and Batchworth Heath. 1C Improve welcome signage across all sites, with TRDC branding. 1D Explore the possibility of establishing TRDC ownership of White Hill Wood in order to bring it into positive management. 1F Establish formal public access to Long Spring.

2. Healthy, safe and secure To ensure that visitors to Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath feel safe and able to enjoy the sites at all times. 2A Continue to increase visitor numbers through improved facilities, better promotion and a wider range of attractions, thereby reducing antisocial behaviour. 2B Respond proactively to any misuse of the site. 2C Carry out reactive tree works to address safety issues.

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-23 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 Page 5 of 9 3. Clean and well maintained To ensure the standard of maintenance is upheld and relevant. 3A Manage and maintain the grassland, paths, interpretation and infrastructure. 3B Remove graffiti and fly-tipping. 3C Carry out regular litter picking and small scale vegetation management. 3D Maintain the surface of the Bishop’s Wood car park in good condition.

4. Sustainability To ensure sustainability of all management operations on site. 4A Ensure ongoing maintenance costs are financially sustainable. 4B Secure external funding to ensure the viability of capital works. 4C Carry out management according to environmental best practice, where possible avoiding the use of herbicides, and using sustainable woodland management practices. 4D Apply for Countryside Stewardship funding on conclusion of Woodland Improvement Grant to support management. 4E Market produce from forestry operations to increase the financial viability of woodland management.

5. Conservation and heritage To conserve and enhance the key habitats of Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath. 5A Restore historic and iconic habitats and species to Bishop’s Wood. 5B Continue woodland management to improve the ecological status of Bishop’s Wood in line with the long term woodland management plan. 5C Protect, restore and aim to link together remnant patches of heathland. 5D Encourage attenuation and infiltration within Bishop’s Wood to reduce the risk of surface water flooding downstream. 5E Control invasion of open areas by bracken. 5F Monitor and control invasive non-native species and eradicate where possible. 5G Enhance the acid grassland on Batchworth Heath and prevent encroachment of scrub. 5H Maintain and enhance ponds across Bishop’s Wood and Batchworth Heath.

6. Community involvement To develop and maintain an informed, involved and enthusiastic local community. 6A Encourage the local community to become involved in the management of the site in a structured and supported way and ensure all involved operate towards achievement of the objectives of the GAP.

7. Marketing To promote awareness and interest in Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath. 7A Distribute the new Bishop’s Wood leaflet as widely as possible. 7B Run occasional guided walks to showcase Bishop’s Wood and its neighbouring sites. 7C Build links with neighbouring businesses.

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-23 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 Page 6 of 9 6 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PLAN PRODUCTION PROCESS

Effective community engagement is at the centre of a successful GAP. Their particular value as documents comes from balancing the thoughts and aspirations of stakeholders and interest groups throughout the writing process.

In order to enable as many stakeholders and interest groups as possible to have the opportunity to feed into the production of the new GAP, we have adopted a structured two-stage approach to consultation.

For the first stage, consultees will be invited to make comment on the core aspirations that we are putting forward as part of this briefing document; it is hoped that any further aspirations and/or issues will be addressed through this information gathering process. This first stage of community engagement will run between Monday 24th July and Monday 11th September.

For the second stage, stakeholders and site users from the wider community will be invited to read through and make comment on the draft GAP, which will include detailed proposals and actions. This stage will run between approximately Monday 23rd October and Monday 27th November. To support this stage, we will be holding a guided walk and engagement session for any users or interested groups that may wish to discuss the proposals or a particular aspect in more detail. The arrangements for this walk will be confirmed and advertised nearer the time.

Following this exercise, the final document will be produced, published and promoted more widely to the general public.

The following diagram shows the Greenspace Action Plan production process:

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-23 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 Page 7 of 9 BISHOP’S WOOD & BATCHWORTH HEATH GREENSPACE ACTION PLAN (GAP) 2018-2023 GAP Production Process

Engagement will run Engagement will run from approx. from approx. 24th July 2017 to 23rd October 2017 to 11th September 2017 27th November 2017

Bishop’s Wood Production of Stakeholder Stakeholder & Batchworth briefing engagement on Production Production Publicity and document and engagement on Heath briefing of draft GAP of final GAP promotion outline draft GAP GAP proposals document 2018-2023

Hertfordshire County Council portfolio holder and local members British Horse Society Three Rivers District Council portfolio holder and local members Local riding stables/liveries Relevant Three Rivers District Council officers Cycle Herts Relevant Hertfordshire County Council officers Ramblers Association Hertfordshire Ecology Batchworth Heath Residents’ Association Historic Environment Record Hertfordshire Police Rights of Way Mount Vernon Hospital Hertfordshire & Middlesex Wildlife Trust The Rose and Crown PH Hertfordshire & Middlesex Butterfly Conservation Ye Olde Greene Manne PH Hertfordshire Natural History Society Neighbouring landowners Forestry Commission Local community

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-23 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 Page 8 of 9 7 STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK

Thank you for taking the time to read this document. We are keen to receive feedback from you on our proposals for the Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath Greenspace Action Plan (GAP) 2018-2023.

Please return your comments using the contact details below by Monday 11th September.

FAO Andrew Taylor Countryside Management Service Office (Car Park H) Environment Department County Hall Pegs Lane SG13 8DN

E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 01992 556063

Bishop’s Wood & Batchworth Heath GAP 2018-23 Briefing Document CMS July 2017 Page 9 of 9