Woodland
Alfrick
Thank you for visiting our page to learn more about proposals to create a new woodland in Alfrick Pound.
This webpage is a place to view plans, learn more about our approach to developing a woodland and to keep up to date with progress on the project.
Prime is a specialist developer of health and care property based in Worcester, and owner of the land, which was purchased with the intention of creating a new woodland.
We have been working alongside forestry consultants Tilhill Forestry to create a sustainable plan to plant and manage 14,000 trees on the 24 acre plot.
We believe public input is an asset in all our works and will seek to build close ties to the community wherever we are delivering something new.
Why a woodland?
Prime develops properties for health and care purposes, such as new hospital and community health buildings, car parks, key worker housing and care homes. We are committed to sustainability and making a positive impact on the planet. As technology and construction practices improve we have begun to deliver developments which are carbon neutral. However, we must acknowledge that our Head Office premises’ and company travel historic carbon emissions have had an impact on the environment we live in now. With this in mind, we have set out to offset these historic, and any unavoidable future emissions by creating a new woodland, here in Worcestershire. By planting and maintaining our own woodland we can accurately monitor and measure its true environmental impact.
Our work has already begun, in 2023 our team visited the site and planted 100 native fruit trees on the land to protect and restore the traditional Orchard, these trees are now established and have begun bearing their first fruit.
Where is the land?
Our 24 acre plot of land is located off Stocks Road, Alfrick Pound, close to Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve. It has traditionally been used as farmland, however we are now seeking to apply to the Forestry Commission for permission to create a new woodland at the site.
What will be planted and how will it be protected?
In total the plot of land is 7.68 hectares in area. Our plans allow for 3.21 hectares of broadleaf woodland, 3.02 hectares of conifer woodland and 1.49 hectares of lower density scrub land with open areas, as detailed on the plan below. In total 14,000 trees will be planted, including a mix of oak, cherry and birch trees.
The whole site will be surrounded by deer fencing to protect the new growth from being stripped of bark and leaves, and allowing for the use of smaller protective tubes for the initial growth period.
Our neighbours will be factored into our planting designs, with trees planted more densely at the centre of the land and more sparsely near the perimeter, to retain a clearer view across the woodland.
Examples of previous projects
Examples of previous projects
Examples of previous projects
Public access
We appreciate there is a public right of way through the site and this will be maintained. We will seek to improve the experience of walkers travelling through the site by replacing the current stiles with gates for easier access. These gates would be installed to maintain access for local people who use the land as a through route. This woodland is not intended as a visitor attraction and we will not be adding any built facilities to the woodland to encourage its use as such.
Additional benefits
Wherever possible we will look to make the land richer in its impact on the environment. We have already installed owl boxes on existing trees to provide additional habitat. Additional planting on this site would compliment the woodland already existing in the area to increase biodiversity and encourage wildlife to flourish, as more trees would create habitat connectivity with neighbouring woodland areas.
Our plans also allow for the buffering of watercourses with additional planting, reducing agricultural run-off and increasing water infiltration. This should reduce flooding downstream.
The planting of new woodland will also create some short-term employment for contractors in the local area.
Next steps
If the Forestry Commission approve our plans we are planning to begin planting in autumn 2025. Tree planting is typically most successful in the autumn and winter months, at this time the trees are dormant and most likely to survive being uplifted from the nursery and planted somewhere else. The planting would take place over the course of around 3 months. We would also be making improvements to the entrance and erecting the new fencing during this period.
What are we doing in the meantime?
Whilst we wait to hear from the Forestry Commission maintenance works will continue in the orchard over the next few weeks to improve the health of the existing veteran trees and ensure the protection of the valuable habitat.
Works we’ll be doing include:
- Managing the vegetation to ensure the orchard trees remain competition free. This helps them to establish well, and then thrive. We will be suckering plants from the hedgerow that are beginning to extend onto the orchard.
- Pruning the mature trees to improve health and vigour. Many of these established trees have failed as a result of heavy crowns and heavy mistletoe colonisation. Cuttings and deadwood will be left on site in dedicated habitat piles to improve invertebrate habitat that can be managed moving forwards.
- Young trees will be monitored and assessed to ensure survivability. They will be getting some extra care with spot weeding being undertaken to clear long grass and other vegetation that is developing, so their growth is not restricted.
Responding to community questions
Our public engagement resulted in a number of questions being raised by the community, below we provide the answers to the most common queries raised.
What trees will be planted?
There are 11 species in total at this stage, pedunculate oak, wild cherry, sycamore, silver birch, Norway spruce, Douglas fir, hawthorn, blackthorn, rowan, field maple and crab apple. This is subject to changes following consultation with the Forestry Commission.
How have you chosen which trees to plant?
The site has been evaluated to determine the most suitable tree species, using Forest Research’s “Ecological Site Classification” tool, which guides decision-making across the forestry industry. This approach aligns with the UK Forest Standard, which recommends planting native species in riparian zones, as they are better suited to these areas than a mix of different species. Additionally, species selection takes into account the broader landscape, which in this region (Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and the surrounding areas) features orchards, mixed native broadleaf trees, and stands of Douglas fir and other conifers.
What value do coniferous trees offer to biodiversity?
Coniferous trees provide much needed habitat and cover for many species. A well-managed and mixed coniferous woodland such as the one proposed by our plans can have a very well-developed understorey at a forest level, providing habitat to many of our most endangered species including dormice, bullfinches, bats and butterflies which all thrive in coniferous woodland. Mixed woodlands such as the one proposed can reach levels of biodiversity seen in semi-natural, native woodlands. As with all things, management of the habitat is key, with many of these species depending on the variable structure, open areas and edge habitat to thrive, much as they do in ancient woodlands. As part of this scheme we have undertaken restoration to the adjacent orchard, installed owl boxes and will do further work to incorporate native wild flowers within the woodland to vastly improve the biodiversity present.
Will planting coniferous trees affect the watercourse?
The coniferous species location has been chosen to keep them away from the watercourse as much as possible, buffered by the native broadleaves as is best practice. There are also existing trees which would provide a buffer between the coniferous trees and the watercourse. This will be retained.
Will the coniferous trees be very visible?
Coniferous trees will be sympathetically planted within the natural form of the valley to shelter them from view from the site boundary. The trees planted will be similar to those already present in the local area and thus be unlikely to stand out as unsightly.
Why are you opting for deer fencing instead of tree guards?
While we appreciate that there may be some dislike towards deer fencing from an aesthetic perspective, we believe that the benefits of deer fencing over using plastic tubes make it the preferable option. Deer fencing can be removed and recycled once it’s role is complete while also reducing the amount of plastic utilised in the environment.
We have found with woodland creation experience across the UK – fields of plastic tubes are as unsightly and attract more negative feedback over time. 1.5m tubes would be required on every tree to prevent deer browsing and can blow around site etc. Deer fencing will “weather” visually and have less of an environmental impact over time.
The existing pasture has a positive carbon impact, have you taken this into account before deciding to plant trees? What enhancement will trees deliver?
A baseline has been established for the existing pasture, the woodland planting design as it currently stands has the potential to store upwards of an additional 2000t CO2e over the coming years. a very high proportion of which is to be ‘locked up’ in the Douglas Fir proposed. Softwoods lock more carbon during their growth comparative to hardwoods due to their growth characteristics while also providing a sustainable building material for the future, further offsetting carbon.
Has an environmental impact assessment been prepared?
This will be undertaken as part of the next phase of planning in collaboration with the Forestry Commission.
Has wood pasture been considered instead of forest to encourage more wildlife?
Wood pasture is a valuable habitat. Significant efforts have also been made to restore the very similar habitat of the traditional orchard at the centre of the site. A majority of the UKs most valued biodiversity thrives on woodland edges, which a wood pasture emulates. The shrubby interface areas on our site will be planted very similarly to wood pasture areas to create that marginal area of lower canopy shrubs and edge habitat that is reminiscent of true wood pasture. Open ground and glades will be a big part of this area.
Has a baseline survey been carried out to establish what wildlife uses the site including what is planted at present?
Natural England have assessed the ecological benefits of the pasture as it currently stands with very little biodiversity identified in the short grass (sward) to support other species. The pasture is classed as Grade 3 agricultural land, technically of a good enough quality to be arable. This means that the sward is not very developed, has been ploughed in recent memory and has been improved with fertilisers, intensive grazing and management. It was agreed that the creation of woodland would result in a net positive to biodiversity.
How will public access to the site be improved?
The public right of way across the site will be maintained. The existing access points to the site are to be maintained with current stiles to be replaced with gate access. If an additional access point would be of a benefit to the local community we would be open to exploring this within the design as it evolves.
How will the woodland be maintained?
Prime have engaged Tilhill on a long term basis to manage the woodland as it develops over time to ensure it grows as intended, and continues to deliver environmental benefits in line with the purpose we set out. The land will never be made to serve a commercial purpose while it is under Prime’s ownership. Any monies made from the sale of harvesting mature timber will be reinvested into the site, ensuring the woodland is properly managed and financially sustainable in perpetuity.
Feedback
Thank you for taking the time to read this information. The opportunity for feedback on these proposals has now closed. We will continue to update this web page as the project develops so that you can keep track of how plans are progressing.