Woodland at Horsham beauty spot reopens to the public

Anger erupted in January when Horsham District Council announced that there would be no public access in future to part of Owlbeech Woods.

The council fenced off an area of the woods – known as Middle Heath – and said it was ‘to protect nesting birds and the heathland habitat.’ It said rare birds were nesting there and the area would be permanently closed to protect them.

But the move angered Horsham’s Liberal Democrats who said the decision to close the woods had been taken without any public consultation. They described Middle Heath as ‘a beautiful part of Leechpool and Owlbeech Woods which has been enjoyed by Horsham residents for decades.’

Now the council has done an about-turn and announced this week that the area will once more be open to the public from now until January 8 when it will be shut again.

In a statement, the council said: “Following the end of year review and taking on board public comment, Middle Heath enclosure will be re-opening for public access for three months over this winter period.

“From January, Middle Heath will then be closed again to protect the sensitive habitat and ground nesting birds who start establishing nesting territories from early in the year. We will be continuing our regular bird survey work in 2024 with a further review of this data taking place next August to consider the longer term management of this site.

“As part of our on-going woodland management, our small herd of British White cattle will also be grazing the heath at selected times during October and December. Access across the rest of Leechpool and Owlbeech Woods remains unchanged.”

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Lib Dem Councillor Colin Minto hailed the decision to reopen the woodland as “a great example of the public working in harmony with the council, and humans living in harmony with the countryside.”

In a statement on social media, he said: “A huge thank you to all members of the public, and community groups, that voiced their opinions when the decision to close the Middle Heath Enclosure was announced last year.”