Square Holders Buy-Out 2022!

'The Friends of Freeman’s Wood (FFW) community group is inviting residents to become a ‘square-holder’ in a community buy-out of the 27-acre Freeman’s Wood.

The group needs to raise around £60,000 to buy the land from the current owner, a property developer based on the other side of the world.

The group’s secretary Emily Heath said:

“By owning the land as a community, we could make it a much better resource for local people and wildlife. We would be able to protect it from development even if planning laws change, and apply for grants to fund improvements that are wanted by local residents.”

The Friends group is using the concept behind the ‘what3words’ app to divide the land into around 12,000 squares, each identified by a unique combination of three words (for example, ///copy.clear.roses is located in the open space in the middle of Freeman’s Wood, as shown in the image below). Each square is 3 metres by 3 metres – about the size of a small room. ‘Square-holders’ who have the app on their phones will be able to find their sponsored squares very easily.

Emily Heath continued:

“We are asking members of the public to sponsor one or more squares. Each square costs £5 – so twenty squares is £100 and an acre costs £2,250. All donations, big or small, are very welcome. Once all 12,000 squares have been sponsored, there will be enough money to buy the land.”

Squares can be sponsored online at www.lancastergreenspaces.org.uk/freemans-wood-purchase.html or cheques payable to ‘Friends of Freeman’s Wood’ can be sent to the FFW treasurer Simon Thomas at 37 Coverdale Road, Lancaster, LA1 5PY.

A consultation event will be held on Saturday 16th July, from 2.00-5.00 pm in a marquee on Coronation Field. Committee member Eleanor Levin said:

“Please come along on the 16th July. The Friends of Freeman's Wood are hoping to talk to people of all ages and backgrounds about what you would like to see happening with Freeman’s Wood over the next 1-10 years. We’ll lead guided walks around Freeman’s Wood, and there will be drinks and cakes for sale, with all proceeds going towards the purchase of the land.”

The Square-Holders update: April 2022:

'It is exciting times for the Friends of Freeman’s Wood, as the current owners of Freeman's Wood (Lune Industrial Estate Ltd) have agreed to sell the land. This means that, for the first time, a community buyout is a real possibility.

The Friends of Freeman's Wood (FFW) committee, North Lancashire Community Land Trust (NLCLT) and Lancaster Green Spaces (LGS) are working together to make this possible. The idea is for NLCLT to buy the land using a loan, which FFW would pay back by the end of this year in return for control of the land - either through a management agreement, long-term lease or transfer of ownership. LGS would assist with fundraising, as they are a registered charity and can therefore claim Gift Aid on donations from taxpayers. 

To purchase the land would cost around £60,000 (including legal fees), and it would also be desirable to raise a further amount to develop and implement a woodland management plan.

If the community buyout goes ahead, we would hope to raise some of the money from individual donors, and the rest from charitable grants. A big fundraising effort will be needed over the coming months.

What are the advantages of owning the land?

Freeman's Wood was granted Town Green status in Spring 2020, after a long battle by the local community. This status currently protects the land from development, but there is always a risk that the law could be changed to weaken or abolish this protection, or that the landowner could get planning permission to develop Freeman's Wood by providing an alternative piece of land for community use somewhere nearby.

If the community owned the land, we could guarantee its protection from development, and we would be able to manage the land in a way that benefits people and wildlife. The spiked metal fence that was erected in 2011 deters people from entering the woods and using the open space in the middle for recreation. We could make it more accessible and welcoming if we had control over the land.

Of course, this wonderful opportunity will bring extra responsibilities too. It will probably be necessary to change the legal status of Friends of Freeman's Wood - e.g. to become a Charitable Trust or Charitable Incorporated Organisation - to make it easier to raise funds, recruit trustees, manage volunteers and employ people if needed.

There is a lot to do, so we will need lots of FFW members to get involved and help make it happen. We will also need to consult widely on how the wood would be managed in future.'