OgImage:

LGSi7 – Ancient Woodland in the centre of Ifold. Adjoining and/or part of the rear gardens of residential properties located on the historic roads of The Ride and Chalk Road; and on The Close. Ancient & Semi-Natural Woodland. Main Habitat Present – Deciduous woodland. This is a habitat area for rare and declining Farmland Birds – Species: Turtle Dove. Ancient Woods have been around for many centuries (officially woodland that has existed since 1600 AD) – long enough to develop as ecosystems that are rich, complex, and irreplaceable. This particular Ancient Woodland is noted on a 1910 map of Ifold and links back to a larger area of Ancient Woodland called South Wood, which then adjoined the manorial Ifold Estate with Ifold House. This remaining woodland section contributes to the predominant sylvan character of the Ifold settlement. It provides foraging for protected bat species whose flight lines are over Ifold leading to SAC: The Mens and Ebernoe Common. As noted in CDC Habitat Regulation Assessment (November 2015): Development does have the potential to impact upon bat (Bechstein and particularly, Barbastelle) flight lines due to the close proximity to the SAC. As a result, development should be resisted in the ancient woodland area and mitigation for lighting requirements should be implemented in the surrounding residential properties.

ASSESSMENT:LGSi7 – Ancient Woodland in Ifold centre

REFERENCES:

  • National Forest Inventory 2014

MAPS: