Hole Farm – Your future local woodland
In 2021 National Highways bought Hole Farm, a 95 hectare arable site in Great Warley near Brentwood, Essex. It sits alongside the M25 at the northern end of the proposed Lower Thames Crossing.
Hole Farm: Draft design
The draft design for the Hole Farm community woodland is now available for public consultation. After two open days at Hole Farm where we had members of the public review the design in person, we would now like to give people the opportunity to review the design online.
Please take a look at the draft design below and email us at hole.farm@forestryengland.uk with any comments or edits you would like to see.
While the whole site will be a community woodland, it will also serve other purposes for the Lower Thames Crossing. Planting on some of the site will provide compensation for the loss of ancient woodland and replacement public open space for Folkes Lane Woodland. We are also considering using other areas of the site as environmental compensation to address the environmental impacts of the Lower Thames Crossing; a consultation on this starts on 12 May.
We want the site to become an inspiring place for the local community to enjoy and explore. We are about to start planning how the woodland could look and feel, and what facilities it might offer for local people.
Next steps
This was the start of the process, and there will be more opportunities to give your feedback and shape the future of the site.
The next step will be to review the responses to the questionnaire and share our findings with you. There will then be a series of focus workshops on key topics to give an opportunity to provide more detailed feedback.
Find out more
About Forestry England
Forestry England manage the nation’s forests. For over 100 years, Forestry England have been growing, shaping and caring for over 1,500 of our nation’s forests for the benefit and enjoyment of all, for this generation and the next. They have built walking, running and cycling trails, supplied England’s largest amount of sustainably-sourced timber, and conserved the habitats of thousands of plants and animals. Forests improve the health and wellbeing of everyone and, with careful planning and expert management, our forests will continue to thrive. They help to offset carbon emissions, restore eco-systems and provide people of all ages and abilities with fresh air and spaces to enjoy. Forestry England are always thinking beyond today, planning and planting forests that will help create a sustainable future.
About the Lower Thames Crossing
The Lower Thames Crossing would connect Kent, Thurrock, Havering and Essex through the longest road tunnel in the country. It would link to the A2 and M2 south of the river, passing under the Thames, before joining the A13 in Thurrock and junction 29 of the
M25 to the north.
The Lower Thames Crossing would reduce congestion at the Dartford Crossing by almost doubling road capacity between Kent and Essex, support economic growth and improve journeys across the Thames, making them quicker and more reliable.
Hole Farm is one is of a number of initiatives that is being developed by National Highways to open up new areas of the landscape and connect local communities to the countryside.
These include the longest road tunnel in the UK to protect the Thames and nearby wetlands and seven green bridges to provide safe crossing points for people and wildlife. Two new public parks and a new community woodland, connected by more than 60km of new or upgraded pathways, will promote health and wellbeing across the region.
