Sussex farmer to call on King Charles to help save 'royal woodland'

Ralph Dickson has spent months planning to plant 70 acres of his land in Cowfold as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project to mark the late monarch’s Platinum Jubilee.

But his plans are under threat because his land in Kent Street, Cowfold, has been chosen by Rampion 2 wind farm as a cabling route for its new onshore electricity substation.

"The Rampion wind farm cable route will totally destroy the project,” said Ralph. But he’s not giving up in his battle to create the royal woodland.

He is writing to the Royal Household to invite King Charles to plant the first tree.

Ralph – who has farmed the Cowfold land and other land at Wiston for nearly 40 years – said he was the first person in the south east to be approved by the Woodland Trust for the Queen’s Green Canopy – a project which urged people to plant native trees to create a 'special gift' to mark the Queen’s 70 year reign.

“The Woodland Trust have said it is not an option to have the woodland there and the cables. There is no way these two things can go hand in hand,” he said. ”Rampion has made 60 alterations to the cable route – some for quite trivial reasons.”

Ralph is now calling on the public to help support him. “I want to appeal to the public to help preserve this nature reserve environment.”

The area is a haven for wildlife, said Ralph, and an ideal spot for the Queen’s Green Canopy.

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He said he was “very supportive of green energy. All I am asking Rampion to do is find an alternative route for the cables.”

People have until November 29 to outline their views. See www.rampion2.com/consultation-2022/

A spokesperson for the Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm team said: "We are working with hundreds of land owners along the proposed route, from Climping to Cowfold, to create the best possible cable route that has the least impact on the environment and communities along the way.”