The proposed re-location of Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre

1. Why is Sherwood Forest NNR so important?

The ancient woodland of Birklands near Edwinstowe is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important old-woodland sites in Europe and is internationally and nationally significant for nature conservation. Ancient woodland is an irreplaceable part of the UK’s natural heritage, providing conditions for hundreds of old trees and collections of rare invertebrates. Ancient or veteran trees are among the oldest living organisms in Europe today and their habitats, and their forest landscape, cannot be replicated.

The importance for wildlife of Birklands is reflected by the series of designations placed on the site. It is nationally important for its woodland wildlife, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as far back as 1954 and by the declaration of the site as a National Nature Reserve (NNR) by English Nature in 2002. Since 1995, the woodland is recognised as being of European significance, being one of only four sites in the UK to be designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) by the UK Government on account of its ancient woodland wildlife.

Its high value for nature conservation is a direct result of the site’s unusually large size, its high degree of naturalness, the rarity of its old pasture-woodland habitat and its important assemblages of rare and scarce wildlife.

2. What is the problem with the existing Visitor facilities?

The existing Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre and its associated facilities were unfortunately constructed during the early 1970s in one of the most ecologically important areas of the NNR surrounded by ancient woodland and a high number of ancient trees. The legislation protecting SSSIs was at this time considerably weaker than it is now, with the Nature Conservancy Council having no statutory powers to prevent or modify operations that would be likely to damage the special wildlife interest of SSSIs. The development of the current facilities also took place at a time when the recognition of the great natural and cultural value of ancient trees, and the international importance of Sherwood Forest, was certainly not as widely understood or appreciated as it is now. Since 1976, when the centre opened, visitor numbers have dramatically increased, peaking at around 800,000 visitors a year. This has far exceeded the capacity of the facilities to accommodate such numbers of people. As a result, the construction of the centre and the subsequent increase in visitors has had a significant impact on the ecological integrity of this part of the woodland over the years.

Natural England considers the main issues associated with the visitor facilities are:

The location of the centre and facilities within the SAC/NNR is inappropriate in the present day and has eroded the high degree of naturalness, one of the most important attributes, of the site. The construction of the visitor centre and associated facilities such as car parks took place directly within an important area of woodland, leading to the loss and degradation of natural habitat and the direct removal of ancient trees at the time. Part of this ancient woodland has been replaced by a non-natural ‘footprint’ of low wildlife value covering a significant area.
High numbers of visitors concentrated around the car parks and visitor centre produce abnormally high trampling pressure around tree roots and amongst woodland vegetation, which threatens to damage the long-term health of the remaining ancient oak trees. Many of the ancient oaks within the NNR are already either dead or decaying as a result of past management practices so the health of the remaining living oaks is extremely important.
All trees are liable to shed limbs and branches, and even fall over completely, from time to time, including the old oaks. This is a natural process. But the presence of high numbers of visitors concentrated around the car parks and visitor centre means that any potential hazards posed by trees shedding limbs or falling over must be managed to protect the health and safety of visitors. There is currently a much greater-than-normal demand to manage this risk at the NNR. Each year, a number of old trees have to be artificially managed by removing limbs and branches to reduce their potential risk to visitor safety, compromising both their wildlife interest and aesthetic appeal to visitors.

3. Why should the existing Visitor Centre and facilities be re-located?

It is not too late to reverse the adverse effects highlighted above and allow the woodland habitat to recover. Re-locating the visitor facilities away from the SAC/NNR will remove the non-natural footprint, allow a more natural woodland habitat to be restored, reduce the recreational pressures on the habitat and lessen the potential risk to visitors.

Importantly, too, increasing visitor numbers to the NNR since 1976 have largely outgrown the existing visitor facilities, adding considerable pressure to the visitor facilities themselves. Visitor numbers have the potential to rise considerably again in the future (usually in line with the popularity of Robin Hood), whilst current levels of visitor satisfaction with the existing facilities are known to be low. The location of the facilities within the SAC./NNR means that any enlargement or expansion of the facilities necessary to improve the visitor experience of the forest and to cope with these modern numbers of visitors is now impossible. This is because of the high wildlife interest of the surrounding woodland habitat and the strong protection from any development resulting from the SAC/NNR designations. This is a major constraint to improving the visitor experience within such a key area of Sherwood Forest.

Government is also keen to see all Protected Wildlife Sites restored to a favourable ecological condition, i.e. their habitats are able to support its special wildlife. It has set all public bodies a target of ensuring that 95% of all SSSI land in England reaches favourable condition by 2010. It expects all local authorities to adopt the highest standards of care and management in relation to the SSSIs they own or manage. This part of the NNR is considered by Natural England to be in an unfavourable condition due to the extent of the non-natural, artificial built structures and hard-surfacing within the protected area boundary.

4. What will be the main benefits to the NNR of re-locating the visitor centre?

Natural England would like as many people as possible to enjoy and appreciate the NNR. But it considers that careful and sustainable management of visitors is critical in preserving the integrity of this ancient and irreplaceable forest, ensuring the long-term conservation of its natural features of national and international importance for future generations to experience and enjoy. If this is not achieved, the internationally important wildlife of the site will suffer and be lost. The tourism and quiet recreation associated with the site itself and the wider Sherwood Forest landscape, and which is so important to the revival of local economies, will also significantly decline.

Natural England strongly supports the improvement of visitor facilities outside of the SAC/NNR to restore the degraded parts of the woodland and enhance the enjoyment of visitors to the site. These should however remain close to the SAC/NNR to maintain the high degree of public access to the site. Some of the main benefits of this would be:

The condition of this part of the SAC/NNR would be restored as required by law by replacing the artificial, non-natural habitat with a more characteristic and ‘natural’ habitat of greater wildlife value;
Visitor facilities could be updated, expanded and improved at a new location where the environmental impacts and planning constraints are less significant;
Services such as public access, sustainable transport, energy efficiency, environmental interpretation and education programmes could be improved at the new centre;
It will help to improve the general public’s appreciation of wildlife, our natural environment and the Sherwood Forest region by providing a better and more enjoyable visitor experience of the natural forest landscape;
It will significantly reduce the risk of harm to both ancient trees and the visiting public by re-locating large congregations of visitors and their cars away from the NNR, and;
Improve facilities for local communities and help to sustain the local economy by improving access links between the centre and local village facilities.

Steve Clifton - Natural England

Natural England is here to conserve and enhance the natural environment, for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people and the economic prosperity that it brings.