Freeman’s Wood is located on the west edge of the city of Lancaster, in North West England.
It is about 27 acres or 11 hectares in size, and is bounded by a cyclepath, a public footpath, a public recreation ground, and an industrial estate. There is housing to the east, the tidal reach of the river Lune to the west, and open farmland to the south.
A history of the site is here.
This plot of land has been used by local people for decades, and they have regarded it as common land.
Between November 2011 and January 2012, spiked metal fencing was installed around it, together with “Warning – Keep Out” signs. Various tree houses, and a complex system of bike ramps which had been constructed by local people, were destroyed.
There was a public outcry and several reports in the local press. The signs were rapidly and creatively defaced. Local people submitted applications to Lancashire County Council for three designated public footpaths across it, and for Town Green status. Lancaster City Council imposed a Tree Preservation Order on the site.
Ownership of the land was not entirely clear, apparently involving several parties – Lune Industrial Estate Ltd, The Property Trust Group, and PT Holdings Ltd, a company registered in Bermuda. A property development company, Satnam Investments Ltd, also seemed to be involved. More details here.
The fence obviously deterred access to Freeman’s Wood, so the use of this land by members of the public diminished initially following its installation. But the fence was not continuous, including a section beside the cycle path of a few hundred metres where no fencing was installed, and elsewhere new gaps were created at various points.
So the fence was permeable and it became fairly easy for people to access the land. It was gradually well used by local people once more, with new well-trodden footpaths leading from the newly created gaps. Lancashire County Council soon gave approval in principle to the designation of the three footpaths which had been requested.
Satnam submitted an outline proposal to Lancaster City Council for the development of the site for housing and industrial units, and made a public presentation. Members of the public objected. The Council, in its draft Land Allocations Development Plan Document for 2003-2023, had included a statement that it would “support proposals that enhance and regenerate the quality and quantity of recreation and open space provision in this area”. The Satnam proposal was turned down by the Council.
After a long wait, Freeman’s Wood was designated as a Town Green in February 2020, and in October 2020 the landowner withdrew its planning application to build 250 houses. The owners of Freeman’s Wood (named as Lune Industrial Estate Ltd) then agreed to sell the land, and in June 2022 the Friends of Freeman’s Wood set up a ‘square-holder’ community buy-out of the 27-acre site, in which people could buy 3 metre square plots. This succeeded, and the Friends became owners, and are now managing the land. Further information is on the Friends of Freeman’s Wood website.
