Meeting our new councillors
We would like to welcome our new Councillors, Lou Timlin and Mark Ashwell, to Fox Hill woods.
We have introduced the new Councillors to the WBC owned part of Fox Hill woods and we are looking forward to working together.
We would like to thank previous councillors, Sarah Kerr, Ian Shenton and Tim Lloyd, for their support.
Art Installation
A local artist, Trish Roberts, is doing a Masters which has focused on Fox Hill throughout.
Many of you have helped with the ‘answers on a postcard’ survey, or followed the QR code film trail dotted through the woods.
A message from Trish:
For my last module I have been creating these sculptural forms with a connection to the woodland. To celebrate this wonderful natural space, I’d love it if you could come along, take a piece of work, and collectively create our own outdoor natural gallery – children very welcome! Thank you. Trish x
All are welcome to join us on Saturday 5th October at 2.30pm.
Location: https://what3words.com/twigs.pieces.achieving
From Limmerhill Road entrance, about 140 yards on your right
Butterfly Count 2024
While the rest of the team were working very hard on Rhododendron removal, I had the pleasure of doing the 2024 Big Butterfly Count! I strolled around the woods for a couple of hours and here are my results: Big Butterfly Count – Friends of Fox Hill 2024. I saw others too, but only these four are being counted in the survey.
We’ll see what the results of the national survey show, but one contributing factor to the decrease in my count this year is that I did it a bit later, after most of the bramble flowers had gone to seed; i.e. blackberries. The best spot for butterflies in Fox Hill is a patch of flowering bramble in the sun.
I encountered all you see below, but I also saw a fox, complete with prey in its mouth! It was too fast for me to capture on camera.
Above: Comma, Large White, Cabbage White, Damsel Fly, White Admiral, Gatekeeper, Buff Tailed Bee, Female Blackbird.
If you’d like to take part, follow the guidelines on Big Butterfly Count before the 4th of August.
Happy counting,
Claire
Protecting Fox Hill Footpaths
Having successfully gained approval for a new Public Right of Way within Fox Hill, we would like to apply for three more Public Rights of Way on Fox Hill private land. We need your help to protect these for future generations. At present the landowners kindly allow the public to walk these routes but there is no obligation to do this. From our previous application for several routes, we have learnt a lot of lessons, particularly with the help of the Ramblers Association.
This time we wish to focus on three known popular routes as follows:
- from the base of Fox Hill (which is Council owned) to the new Public Right of Way along the pylon line.
- from the pylon line to meet the Public Bridleway between the pylon line and Highland Avenue
- from Kent Close to join the Council land at the Dorset Way entrance.
We believe that now the new Public Right of Way has been granted these three routes now meet the requirement for these routes to join existing Public Rights of Way, Public Roads or Council land at each end.
How you can help
To make an application, we must provide evidence that these routes have been used as footpaths for at least the last twenty years. This evidence is by means of a form being completed and a map drawn of the route you have taken (we are not allowed to provide you with an actual route ourselves). You do not have to have walked any of these routes for the whole twenty years yourself. As an example, if you walked one or more of these routes from 2004 to 2013 and someone else walked the same route from 2012 to today the two together show twenty years usage. Friends of Fox Hill will provide the necessary forms and copies of a blank map with a guide on how to complete them. We would then collate them and look for evidence of the same route being used by different people and then make the application. This would be submitted to the Council and landowners (in these cases there are two in total) by Friends of Fox Hill.
We are very grateful to the more than forty people who helped us with the last application that we made. There is a certain number of historical users we need for each route and if you can help protect these footpaths by being willing to provide evidence of your historical usage or require more information, please e-mail footpaths@friendsoffoxhill.org with your details.
Here is a map of the general area we are looking at (please note the solid black lines on the map do not represent footpaths and the red hatched area is owned by WBC).
Tony Delliston,
Vice Chair Friends of Fox Hill
Photos from a Fox Hill Nature Walk
On the 8th of June, Eddie Napper took a group of Fox Hill fans to the woods to see what they could find. It was a lovely morning, and we managed to capture some sights for those of you who didn’t make it.
Keep an eye out for future walks and activities in the woods by Subscribing to our Newsletter.
(Click to enlarge photos)
Animals
Plant Life
Fun and Games
Activites included swishing a net through grass to see what was hiding there, and finding QR codes on the trees that linked through to videos made by artist Trish Roberts. Walkers were given a sheet with a box for each letter of the Alphabet where they could record their findings.
Hope to see you next time!
Rhododendron – Beauty or Beast?
Rhododendron is a large genus of flowering shrubs, so long regarded as beautiful that they earned a name that means “rose tree” in classical Greek.
Certainly, there are many beauties that make spectacular and well-behaved garden plants. Unfortunately, one species, Rhododendron ponticum, is far from well-behaved.
It’s not native to the British Isles but was introduced in the mid-18th century. At first, it was a novelty for gardens, but some landowners planted it as cover for game birds.
It liked our climate and took off with a vengeance, spreading by seed and by rooting wherever low branches touch the soil.
But the dense, spreading canopy casts so much shade that it stops the germination of our natural woodland plants, even the trees that are necessary to replace those lost to storms. Given time, it will destroy the wood completely.
So, Rhododendron ponticum isn’t a beauty, it’s a beast.
The leaves are toxic to herbivores, so it can’t be controlled by grazing, and the leaves’ waxy coating prevents the effective use of herbicides.
Physical removal is the only option, and if you’d like to see Fox Hill preserved for future generations, why not come and lend a hand. Visit our Events calendar for registration details.
Walk This Way
By Tony Delliston
Friends of Fox Hill are very pleased to announce that final approval has been confirmed for a new Public Right of Way within Fox Hill. The new Public Footpath starts as the existing Public Right of Way from Limmerhill Road to Highland Avenue at the point where it crosses the pylon lines. It then runs down the hill until it meets the footpath from Dorset Way, here it turns right and follows this footpath until it meets WBC land where you can continue unhindered to Dorset Way. We are planning to walk the new Public Footpath as part of the guided nature walk on the 8th June.
In 2018 when 19 Hectares of Fox Hill woodland was put up for sale, Friends of Fox Hill decided to research then apply for footpaths historically used by members of the public to become recognised as Public Rights of Way, thus protecting them for future generations. In working with the Public Rights of Way Officer, within Wokingham Borough Council, it was established that we would have to provide historical evidence that routes had been walked for at least 20 years. He asked for evidence, and so we produced a carefully worded guidance on how to complete the required forms and map. We had to be careful because we were not allowed to actually suggest routes at all. Forty-five people who had walked the woods, both past and present, kindly completed evidence forms and that is where the work really began.
A small sub-committee began matching the routes drawn to see how close they were and also the number of years walked to ensure the 20-year criteria could be met. Each route was then walked, photographed and co-ordinates taken. This resulted in several routes being identified and, following discussion with the Council, we were advised the best course was to submit all the routes in one application. Besides submitting the application, we also had to identify all the land owners where paths crossed their property. The Council was very helpful with this, and, of interest, there are pockets of land where there are no registered owners. This did mean a delay in progressing the application whilst owners were identified. This all culminated on the 31st October 2019 when the full application was submitted to the Council.
We were aware that during the same period of making our application another application was being prepared to recognise Public Bridleways in the same area and the Council decided to work on the two applications together. The work was significant enough for the Council to employ a contractor to examine the applications and come up with recommendations to accept or decline routes with reasons. Unfortunately, COVID-19 unsurprisingly delayed the application further but in October 2022 the Council informed us that all but one route had been declined and reasons were given for each. The decision report provided contained 35 pages, 13,000 words, and 16 appendices. Having examined these, Friends of Fox Hill, following discussion with the Ramblers Association, decided to appeal some of the decisions via the Inspectorate. Unfortunately, there was a speedy response the following month informing us that we could not appeal due to one of the routes being accepted.
There then followed a lengthy public consultation period required by law, but with no objections we were finally informed last month that the one route has been fully confirmed and is now a Public Right of Way. It was also declared that the eight footpaths that were on Council land are actually covered by Right to Roam legislation and therefore did not need to be recognised as a Public Right of Way. These are the main reasons for refusal: –
- Routes drawn on evidence maps were not close enough to accept one route.
- Footpaths not connecting to a Public Highway as per Kotegaonkar legislation.
- Insufficient evidence numbers.
So, what next? We are planning on re-applying for some of the routes previously denied ensuring we answer the reasons previously given.
Lessons have been learnt from the application: –
- Make a separate application for each footpath.
- Ensure each end of a route either joins an existing Public Right of Way, road, or Council land. (It is of note that some of the entrances from Woosehill such as Kent Close and Dorset Way are not Public Rights of Way. Indeed, the one in Kent Close is registered to a division of Bryant Homes who went into liquidation in 2002).
- Try to use a more informative evidence map including points of interest to assist drawing accurate walking routes.
- The 20-year rule for continuous use of a footpath does not have to be by one person, i.e. one person could be years 1-12, another years 11-20, or even a combination of more than two people.
- Establish the actual legal number of people required to give evidence to historical use. We have taken advice from the Ramblers Association who advised us that only one person is required. However, the Council has taken a stance of a minimum of seven. This may have to be finally established on appeal if a route is declined solely for this reason.
Friends of Fox Hill will shortly be asking residents to assist on providing the necessary evidence of using certain routes over the last 20 years. Unfortunately, the clock will have to start again as we cannot re-use evidence provided in 2019 that 45 residents kindly provided. We know the Council has received a large number of Public Bridleway applications and has limited resources, especially as the very knowledgeable officer who provided original assistance has now moved on. However, we can use the consultant report findings to ensure we answer the issues raised on specific routes and re-apply.
Below is the Council decision map and I have highlighted the WBC land where there is a Right to Roam.
Conservation News from Friends of Fox Hill
Our conservation Working Parties take place every month and are open to all as we use traditional hand tools, and no prior experience is needed.
The aim of the session is determined by Wokingham Borough Council Countryside Services. We are also governed by the tree protection order on the woodland.
The main tasks are…
Rhododendron Clearing
Clearing Rhododendron Ponticum as this is an invasive species. It grows so densely that all other tree species have to fight to survive.
Once an area is cleared, we are replanting with small native tree species to create a more even middle woodland canopy.
You might see areas where we have edged a suggested pathway. The aim of this is to reinforce walkways allowing the plants at ground level on either side a chance to thrive. Above: Wild Garlic.
In the Autumn and early Spring, we planted native Snowdrops, Bluebells and Ramsons (Native wild garlic).
Digging Ditches
When we began our management of the woodland the main Dorset Way footpath was often flooded and this was damaging the vegetation. Some of the trees were stood in water and all the existing ditches were in need of maintenance. Digging out the ditches has made it easier to maintain the pathways and provided better drainage for the trees.
Maintaining Paths
We are clearing the mud and leaf mulch off of the hardcore path that runs parallel to Dorset Way. This helps to keep the path clean and we have created culverts to channel the water across the path to maintain drainage. This also creates new habitats of temporary water pools for various insect and amphibian life.
In other areas of the woods, we are placing wood chippings created from the cleared rhododendron onto the existing pathways to absorb the excess water and hopefully make the paths less muddy.
Some of the cleared rhododendron is stacked at the lower Dorset way entrance ready to be chipped and used for path maintenance.
AGM Minutes 2024
I would like to thank those who were able to attend our Annual General Meeting, which was held on Sunday, 24th February 2024, and the Committee who put in a lot of effort to make it happen.
The minutes include an update on our achievements, an update on our footpaths application, and the talk given by our guest speaker, Christine Harvey from Ramblers Loddon Valley.
We look forward to seeing you during the year on one of our activities in Fox Hill.
Please find the link to the minutes here: 2024 AGM Meeting Minutes.
Public Right of Way Application Update
As 2023 comes to an end, we thought we should give an update on the progress of our application for a Public Footpath within Fox Hill that was submitted to the Council at the end of October 2019. The order, if granted, is known as a Definitive Map Modification Order (DMMO).
Earlier this year, notices appeared at both ends of the path route asking for any representations or objections to be sent to the Council by the end of July 2023. WBC have informed us that one communication was received but they have been unable to ascertain if this was a comment or a complaint. They have written to the correspondent, but the last information we have been given is this has not been responded to, so the Council have sent another letter to them. If no representations or objections are outstanding the Order can be confirmed. However, if one or more objections are received, the matter must be submitted to the Secretary of State for a possible hearing.
In general, the Council have been receiving several applications, especially for bridleways which are slowing the process down. It is not just Wokingham experiencing this, councils across the country are. This is due to the Government placing an end date of January 2031 on when applications can be made. Groups such as The Ramblers and The British Horse Society are working hard on making submissions caused by this. Two local examples are an application for a Public Footpath along Chestnut Avenue between Northway and Bearwood Road and making a Bridleway between the Barkham Road and Limmerhill.
Friends of Fox Hill are hoping that if our application is approved, we can explore applying for other routes which failed in our earlier application as they did not connect to a Public Right of Way or Road at both ends; the new route would answer this for some.
A spreadsheet of DMMO applications to Wokingham Borough Council can be found on their website, however it is only up-to-date to February 2023: https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/countryside-parks-and-conservation/footpaths-and-bridleways/public-rights-way-modification-orders
