Hole Farm, a new community woodland
Hole Farm is a new 100-hectare multi-purpose woodland, sitting alongside the M25 at the northern end of the Lower Thames Crossing
Hole Farm will include facilities for the local community such as:
- Café and WC facilities: providing a welcoming space for visitors to enjoy refreshments.
- All Abilities Loop and Network of Paths: including a fully accessible loop designed for people of all abilities.
- Visitors’ Car Park with EV charging provision: Offering convenient access to the woodland for all visitors.
- Network of Ponds: New ponds will offer habitats for local wildlife and provide a scenic element for visitors.
- A Forestry England Ranger Station: to help park rangers create and maintain the new woodland
The woodland will be developed and managed in partnership with Forestry England. Find out more.
Work is continuing at Hole Farm to get the new community woodland ready for visitors soon. We're working closely with Forestry England on the final stages of the project.
We’ve now planted over 150,000 trees on the site with the help of volunteers from the local community and nearby schools, with species such as black poplar, oak, hazel and hornbeam. The species mix was developed with Forest Research, the UK’s principal organisation for forestry and tree-related research, taking account of the site geology, soil condition and climate, and will be professionally managed by Forestry England to ensure a healthy broadleaf woodland.
Work on the visitor facilities began in September 2024 and has included preparing the site, removing the old grain store and barn, creating new access routes and developing the woodland's facilities.
Here's what we've achieved so far:
- New ecological ponds: We've dug three ponds in the northwest of the site. They're fully established and are attracting wildlife such as geese.
- New access route: The main route linking the car park to Hole Farm Lane has been built. It is currently serving as a construction access road and will soon become part of the permanent pathway network.
- More trees planted: We've now planted a total of 150,000 trees.
- Café and visitor facilities: Work has progressed on the café building, car park and accessible paths. Further work is taking place to get the facilities ready for visitors ahead of the woodland opening.
What’s next?
We're continuing to work with Forestry England and our delivery partners to get Hole Farm ready for visitors. Once the remaining work is finished and the site is ready to open, we'll share more information about when people can visit.
The woodland will provide a new space for the local community to enjoy, with walking routes, places to explore and opportunities to get closer to nature. .
View our interactive map and find out about work taking place in your local area.
Low carbon, diesel free construction and a local workforce
Building the new facilities embodies our commitment to using a local workforce and pushing the boundaries of low-carbon construction.
The work is being carried out by small- and medium-sized businesses from within 20 miles of the woodland, and the site will be diesel-free as hydrogen, electric, biofuel, solar and wind power are used to power the machinery and equipment.
Watch our short film on how our Delivery Partner, Balfour Beatty, are creating a local workforce.
Timeline
Hole Farm opens to the public – date to be confirmed
Work is continuing to get Hole Farm ready for visitors.
Construction of Hole Farm's visitor facilities
- Carried out surveys and demolished the existing farm buildings to prepare the site.
- Planted over 150,000 trees with help from local schools and volunteers.
- Created three new ecological ponds in the northwest of the site, which are already attracting wildlife, including geese.
- Built the main access route linking the car park to Hole Farm Lane, which will form part of the woodland's pathway network.
- Made progress on the café building, car park and accessible paths. been built linking the car park to Hole Farm Lane. This is currently a construction access road but will later become part of the site’s pathway network.
What you can expect
- Work is continuing at Hole Farm as we get the woodland and visitor facilities ready for the public.
- Our normal working hours are Monday to Friday, between 08:00 and 17:00.
- You may still see construction teams and vehicles accessing the site while the remaining work takes place. Measures are in place to help minimise noise, dust and disruption to local residents.
- We're working closely with Forestry England and our delivery partners to get everything ready, and we'll share more information about the opening once a date has been confirmed.
December 2023 - Consent granted for community facilities
In December 2023, Forestry England was given the green light to build the proposed infrastructure and facilities for visitors at Hole Farm Community Woodland.
The plans for the green space were designed and developed with the needs of local people in mind, with feedback from local people incorporated into the final planning application.
November 2023 - 80,000 trees planted
Hole Farm will be home to around 150,000 new trees, and provide facilities for visitors, including a network of surfaced paths, a café and community room.
With the help of volunteers from nearby schools and community, Lower Thames Crossing and Forestry England have already planted over 80,000 trees on the site, including species such as black poplar, oak, hazel and hornbeam.
The species mix was developed with Natural England, the UK’s principal organisation for forestry and tree-related research, taking account of the site geology, soil condition and climate, and will be professionally managed by Forestry England to ensure a healthy broadleaf woodland.
September 2022 - How we shaped the plans for Hole Farm
The plans for the green space were designed and developed with the needs of local people in mind, with feedback from local people incorporated into the final planning application, which was given approval through the process of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for afforestation. The consent given by Brentwood Borough Council now clears the way for work to start on facilities.
7,000 questionnaires were sent to households in the surrounding area to gauge people’s opinions of the project and to hear what they would like to see, do and experience at Hole Farm community woodland.
Four follow-up virtual workshops were held with the local community, as well as drop-in days, which included guided tours of the proposed community woodland, to discuss the four main themes of the project: community and recreation, design and delivery, nature and biodiversity and access, traffic and public rights of way.
The information gathered was used to develop Hole Farm's woodland design and held our final consultation drop-in days in Great Warley in September 2022.
With the help of volunteers from nearby schools and community, Forestry England has already planted over 80,000 trees on the site, including species such as black poplar, oak, hazel and hornbeam. The species mix was developed with Forest Research, the UK’s principal organisation for forestry and tree-related research, taking account of the site geology, soil condition and climate, and will be professionally managed by Forestry England to ensure a healthy broadleaf woodland.
See photos from the tree planting below.
