This item was considered at the meeting held on 14 July 2011.

This item was considered at the meeting held on 14 July 2011.

To consider report SD.74 the Forest of Dean District Council’s response to the Independent Panel on Forestry. 

Cllr Quaile, Cabinet Member for the Environment reminded members of the setting up of the Woodlands Advisory Group (WAG) and thanked Cllr Gardiner, as lead member, for his hard work over the previous eight weeks and Peter Hibberd, Strategic Director, for his assistance in putting together the report. He drew members’ attention to annex A, which set out the council’s response to the five questions posed by the Independent Panel on Forestry. He then invited Cllr Gardiner to present the background to the report.

 Cllr Gardiner reminded members of the previous exemption obtained for the Forest of Dean and adjacent woodland. The area in question now had been extended to include 37 woodlands as a single entity. The Independent Panel on Forestry had visited the district on 12 and 13 June, visiting woodland and holding meetings with interested stakeholders. The council had organised a series of road shows across the district to consult the public. The local consultation had resulted in 56 detailed responses, 44 individual responses from the Forest Youth Forum in addition to comments taken at the road shows. Public ownership was deemed essential to retain current access, wildlife, health and biodiversity.

The chairman added his thanks to Cllr Gardiner for his phenomenal work, achieved straight after the local elections.

Cllr Molyneux thanked Cllr Gardiner for his energy, excellent report and for organising the panel’s visit, and Cllr Quaile and Peter Hibberd for their support. The response was a very important document, which set the right tone for the panel to consider. He hoped that all councillors would endorse the report.

Cllr Gardiner proposed and Cllr Quaile seconded the motion.

RESOLVED –

a)      To note the response at Annex A to report SD.74.

b)     To delegate to the Strategic Director, in conjunction with the Portfolio Holder and Lead Member, authority to make minor editorial and presentational changes to the response prior to submission by the 31 July 2011 deadline.

Voting was as follows.

For (48) – Norman Stephens, Roger Yeates, Jim Connell, Gethyn Davies, Brian Jones, Brian Edwards, James Bevan, Judy Davis, Frankie Evans, Carole Allaway Martin, Marrilyn Smart, Len Lawton, Peter Ede, Marion Winship, Gabriella Kirkpatrick, Roy Birch, Arthur Thomas, Julia Gooch, Ian Whitburn, Dave East, Maria Edey, Philip Burford, Clive Elsmore, Andrew Gardiner, Paul Hiett, Graham Morgan, Max Coborn, Frank Beard, Frank Baynham, Bill Osborne, Paul McMahon, David Thomson, Bill Evans, Bernie O’Neill, Don Pugh, Bruce Hogan, Val Hobman, Lynn Sterry, Di Martin, Jackie Fraser, Helen Stewart, Terry Glastonbury, Terry Hale, Diana Edwards, Martin Quaile, Patrick Molyneux, Brian Robinson, Jane Horne

Against (0)

Abstained (0)