Long Established Woodland
Mapped woodland of long standing
Long Established Woodland is a Natural England map category for woodland continuously present in England since at least 1893. It is an evidence record of ecologically valuable older woodland, not a statutory designation. It sits a tier below Ancient Woodland, the stronger protected category for land wooded since before 1600. The inventory covers England only.
What This Means
The mapping places no restriction on this property, and it is not a charge on the title. Ordinary use of the house and garden is unaffected. It matters mainly if you apply for planning permission for works touching the woodland itself. A council may weigh the woodland's presence, though it carries far less weight than ancient woodland. The mapping adds no consent requirement of its own. Felling licences, Tree Preservation Orders and conservation-area rules still control felling and clearing. This does not normally affect mortgage approval, buildings insurance or resale.
Practical Advice
- Ask your conveyancer to confirm from the title plan whether the mapped woodland falls inside the boundary you are buying.
- Ask your conveyancer whether a Tree Preservation Order or conservation-area protection also covers the trees themselves.
- Ask the Forestry Commission whether the felling you have in mind needs a felling licence.
- Speak to the council's planning team before designing an extension or driveway near the woodland edge.
- Commission an arboricultural report from a qualified arboriculturist before any work close to the mature trees.
Additional Information
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland keep their own ancient and long-established woodland inventories, through Natural Resources Wales, NatureScot and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Woodland beside a property outside England will not appear on the Natural England map, however old it is.