- It is an important grassland habitat and its fragmentation and conversion to woodland or amenity use will have a negative impact on efforts to reverse nature’s decline locally
- We are also concerned about the impact accessibility to nature, and the risk of further damage to the nearby SSSI of GWT’s Frith Wood through increased/inappropriate use
- However, our support does not extend to us stepping in to buy the field. This is because of:
- The inflated price of the land compared to other areas we might purchase with an even more significant benefit for nature in the county
- The very high infrastructure costs to implement conservation grazing at this site
- We have a duty to focus the donations of our membership and supporters on where we can have the biggest impact for nature, this includes assessing staff time and costs where this may not be the case
- Our support for the campaign therefore includes:
- Providing some advice and guidance where it can support campaign efforts
- Contacting WIM and reporting damage to date to Natural England
- As our members would expect, our support does not include:
- Making financial contributions beyond our direct charitable remit
- Pursuing legal actions beyond our immediate concerns, e.g. attempting to amend the Frith Wood easement which gives the legal owners right of access to the field
We are aware of the changes happening at Juniper Hill Field and understand that for many years this meadow has been important for the wildlife it supports. We know there are also many local people who have strong emotional attachments to the site, who have enjoyed walking there over many years. We have met with representatives of the Save Juniper Hill campaign group to discuss these issues and have been in touch with Woodlands Investment Management (WIM) directly to make clear our concern over damage to the access track through Frith Wood. We have also reported damage caused to the SSSI in Frith Wood by the initial works on the field to Natural England.
In September 2023 we participated in a BBC Radio Gloucestershire piece about Juniper Hill Field, contributing our perspective and wildlife and land management experts. This included making clear that in this instance the division of the land, which appears to be a key aspect of WIM’s overall business model, threatens to impact on the biodiversity of the field and will ultimately reduce the number of people able to access this place, restricting enjoyment of the field to only those who can afford to purchase it. Analysis of local habitats is clear that this is important grassland, and conversion to woodland and/or amenity use will have a negative impact on efforts to support nature’s recovery in the local area.
We are not in a position to buy the land ourselves, due in part to the inflated price compared to other opportunities with an even more significant benefit for nature in the county, and the substantial logistical costs that we would incur through managing conservation grazing in that specific location.
Ownership of Juniper Hill Field comes with a legal right of access through Frith Wood nature reserve. This was already in place when GWT purchased Frith Wood and covers access rights for current and future owners of Juniper Hill Field. This permits the landowner to drive on the bridleway for the purpose of accessing land. We are currently in the process of seeking legal advice in relation to this access, but it is important that we make clear that as the situation stands, we cannot prevent access to owners of Juniper Hill Field via this track.
Once we fully understand the legal status of the current access and what this entails, we must also consider the likely impact or scale of any intensification of use on this track. Whilst we are concerned about potential damage to the surface of the bridleway and by extension the surrounding SSSI, the financial constraints of attempting to challenge the legal right of access are likely to be substantial, so we will have to factor this in to our considerations about whether to pursue this approach further.
These costs must be weighed up against any intensification of use, something we are unlikely to be able to do until this intensification occurs. As a charity we rely significantly on the generous donations of members and supporters and must be diligent in our financial decision-making. GWT’s legal position, the severity of any impact on the bridleway and SSSI and financial constraints, will all form part of assessing our next steps.
Notwithstanding the above is the principle of being drawn into any form of action precipitated by WIM, whose business practices have caused this situation. There are many situations throughout the county where organisations seek to exploit the value of land immediately next to GWT reserves. We have to carefully consider whether using members’ or supporters’ donations to rectify problems caused by these kinds of exploitative practices is the most appropriate course of action. This is a complex position to take as we understand the importance of Juniper Hill Field to local people and understand that segmentation of this land will damage its biodiversity.