Woodland fenced off next to Swanley Park – Fence erected around wood

A new fence surrounding the beautiful piece of woodland adjacent to Swanley Park (near the lake) is being erected. According to a statement issued by Swanley Town Council, the wood has recently been purchased by a private individual, who is now erecting what appears to be galvanized, triple-pointed steel palisade fencing to secure the site.

The woodland is a popular route for many locals who want a quick and scenic route to access Swanley Park from the Swanley Lane side of Swanley via Woodgers Grove.

The woodland is also very popular with dog walkers, who use the well-trodden natural paths around it throughout the year to take in the natural beauty that it has to offer. Aside from the traditional, majestic oak trees that are scattered throughout the wood, there is also a stock of apple and cherry trees too.

The statement issued by Swanley Town Council was also posted on the Council’s Facebook page. One of the commenters on the post noted that there were indeed several established paths that have existed since the 1980s when the park was opened. He mentioned a “20-year rule” and we assume he was referring to the information on the gov.uk website which says that individuals may still have the right to access privately owned land if it has been accessed by the public for at least 20 years without anyone asking them to stop.

We’re not sure if this would apply to this particular scenario, but it does appear that the wood has certainly been well-used by the public for at least 20 years.

The Council’s statement mentioned that work to erect the fence would begin on 8th October 2018, and take around three weeks to complete. It went on to suggest that graffiti on trees and fly-tipping was an ongoing problem that had concerned the Forestry Commission.

There is a long alleyway that borders the woodland at the Woodgers Grove end and from what we’ve seen whilst walking through this end of the woodland in the past, there are areas next to the alleyway with what looks like general household and garden items dumped on it, possibly from nearby households. It’s reasonable to assume that even with a fence, local fly-tippers would simply throw their rubbish over the fence instead.

Aside from New Barn Road (a small lane running along part of the wood), Woodgers Grove provides the only other opportunity for vehicles to get close to it as the vast majority of the wood is only accessible on foot, either via the alleyway or from the Park itself.

There are now also large metal security gates which have recently erected which we assume will be the main entrance to the woodland once the fence has been completed.

The woodland appears to have previously been part of a farm as there is evidence of what looks like the foundations of greenhouses and other structures dotted around.

Whilst walking through the wood over the years, we’ve seen scant evidence of graffiti on the trees and only occasional evidence of campfires from time to time, mostly near the Swanley Park side of the wood. From what we’ve seen, there’s also scant evidence of fly-tipping as the heart of the wood in inaccessible to vehicles.

The information provided in the Council’s statement doesn’t provide a great deal of information for concerned Swanley residents about future access (if any) to the wood and whether Swanley residents will still have a route to access Swanley Park from the alleyway at the end of Woodgers Grove.

If you’d like to have your say and comment on the erection of the fence, we suggest posting on Swanley Town Council’s Official Facebook Page.