We are aware of three branches that pose a safety risk on two oak trees.  They hang over two paths that are being used by the public so these will be removed today via pole saw. We have made the planning team at the District Council aware of this. We will also inform local residents where possible of this work but please do refer to our update on 07.05.26 for full information about the work happening on site today and on Monday 11 May.  Any questions, please do email us at intakewood@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk

We wanted to provide you with the latest update in relation to Intake Wood. This follows two wider community meetings, several one-to-one meetings, and a number of visits to the wood. We know how important Intake Wood is to you and of the strength of feeling about recent events and we wanted to reassure you again that we are taking clear, practical steps, involving the community, to ensure the woodland is accessible, safe, and protected for the future. 

With this in mind, our immediate priority is safety. On Friday 8 May, we will start some urgent clearing work. Any outstanding work not completed on the Friday will be finished on Monday 9 May. This work will include: 

• the removal of bike jumps, 
• branch removal, 
• the removal of laid stems (tree trunks) obstructing footpaths, and 
• reducing stumps that pose trip hazards to ground level where possible. There will be two teams of three operatives, so six people in total: 
• one team will be led by our Grounds Team Leader, 
• and the other team will be led by an experienced chainsaw-qualified operator. 

The use of chainsaws will only be permitted for the removal of potential hazards affecting the main pathways throughout the woodland, for example cutting laid stems obstructing pathways which are too heavy to move. 

We understand there may be some concerns regarding the noise from the chainsaws operating within the woodland, but please be assured that the only works taking place on the Friday and Monday will be for essential footpath hazard clearance only. 

Ashley Kitchen, Street Scene Manager, Environmental Services from Newark and Sherwood District Council will be onsite between 8.30am - 9.30am and again between 2pm - 3pm should you have any questions.  

During these two days, we will not be able to remove the tyre ruts as this will require heavier machinery. Plans for these works, alongside practical measures for the site that reflect discussions with local residents, are progressing in the background and will continue once we have received the Forestry Commission report. We will keep informed on this. 

These immediate priorities reflect what local residents have told us is most important to them. As a reminder, no further tree felling will take place this year, except where any independent reports identifies immediate safety hazards. If this is the case, we will share information with residents in advance. 

We will provide further updates in the coming weeks regarding next steps. We will ask the admins of the local community Facebook and What’s App groups to share these with you. These are outside of our management so we can, and will where we have email addresses, provide updates directly to residents via email.  

Therefore if you would like to be kept up-to-date on work at Intake Wood, let us know by emailing us at intakewood@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk We will keep your email address solely for that use. If you wish to stop receiving updates, then you’ll just need to email us and let us know and we’ll delete your email address.  
You can also use this email address for any questions you have. 

All information about the wood is available on our dedicated webpage at www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/intakewoodupdates 

Following our first meeting with the local community at Intake Wood, we have organised a second drop-in meeting on Thursday evening (30 April).  The invitation to that is below which is being delivered to local households as well. In addition, we have collated a list of questions asked during the first meeting and are currently compiling written answers to those for our website. They will be available on this webpage shortly.

Intake Wood – second invitation to come and talk to us.

Thank you to everyone who visited us on Friday 24 April. We really appreciated your feedback, views and ideas about Intake Wood.

Following that meeting, we have organised another session for you on Thursday 30 April, from 6pm to 7pm. You can arrive at any time during the session.

The purpose of this second meeting is to provide an opportunity for anyone who was unable to attend last Friday to come and speak with us, ask questions, and share their views. We will also use the session to share some updated plans and ideas developed in response to the feedback we received, and we are keen to involve you further in shaping these on Thursday.

We are committed to listening to the local community and to making changes that reflect your views and ideas. We understand that confidence and trust have been affected, and we want to work with you to rebuild that.

This meeting will be the second in a series of sessions with local residents. If you are unable to attend on Thursday, further opportunities to be involved in the development of the site will be available over the coming year. While we are currently delivering printed invitations door-to-door, we would like to email future updates. If you would like to receive email invitations, please email intakewood@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk and we will ensure you receive these. You can ask to stop receiving these updates on Intake Wood at any time, and your details will be removed. You will not be contacted for any other purposes, other than in relation to Intake Wood.

We want to reassure you that your safety and wellbeing always come first in everything we do. At the same time, we have a strong commitment to protecting wildlife, biodiversity, and the natural environment and balancing these responsibilities can be complex. We know that forestry work, removing trees or shrubs, can be worrying to see, particularly in the early stages, when it can look worse before it looks better.

Felling work is paused on site and only essential remedial work will continue, such as ensuring paths remain safe, tidy and comfortable to use, and addressing basic maintenance needs.  In addition, some access routes will need to remain and there may need to be some closures to clear the site safely.

We will continue to update our webpage with questions and information, so that everyone has access to the same information. If you are unable to attend the meetings but want to find out more, please visit www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/intakewoodupdate

We would like to reiterate that we are incredibly disappointed in what has happened and we would like to apologise sincerely for the worry and inconvenience this has caused.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for sharing your concerns with us. We appreciate how important Intake Wood is to the community, and we look forward to the opportunity to talk with you on Thursday.

Invitation to come and talk to us

We do understand how deeply places like Intake Wood are valued and how concerning it can be when works take place in a much‑loved area.

We want to reassure you that your safety and wellbeing always come first in everything we do. At the same time, we have a strong commitment to protecting wildlife, biodiversity, and the natural environment. Balancing these responsibilities can be complex, so the best way to explain what we have been doing is to discuss it with you directly, ensuring all your questions are fully answered.

We carry out work like this across the district to help keep people safe and, over time, improve our green spaces through new planting and careful management. Sometimes, this does mean removing trees or shrubs before re‑planting can take place. We know this can be worrying to see, particularly in the early stages, when it can look worse before it looks better.

We are very aware that the work at Intake Wood has raised many questions and concerns, which is entirely understandable. It is important to us that people feel listened to and have the opportunity to understand what is happening and why.

While we do put notices in place ahead of works, we recognise that people feel strongly about Intake Wood. For that reason, we would like to invite you to meet with us on site, nearly Dodsley Way play park on Friday 24 April. This will be a drop-in session, so please arrive anytime between 10.30am and 1.30pm.  We will explain:

• the work that has taken place,
• the reasons behind the work,
• what work remains on site,
• how you might be involved in the future, and
• answer your questions in person.

If you are unable to attend, please be assured that questions raised will be noted and responded to with answers shared on this page, so that everyone has access to the same information and reassurance.

Until that meeting has taken place, felling work will be paused on site and only essential remedial work will continue such as ensuring paths remain safe, tidy and comfortable to use, and addressing basic maintenance needs.  In addition, some access routes will need to remain and there may need to be some closures to clear the site safely.

We know that Intake Wood holds real meaning for residents, and the strength of feeling here reflects how valued this space is. Although we have already met with some residents, we truly hope this opportunity will offer further reassurance.

We are committed to listening, explaining our approach clearly, and rebuilding trust where it has been affected. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for sharing your concerns with us. We appreciate how important Intake Wood is to the community, and we look forward to the opportunity to talk with you on Friday.

Thank you.

We have had a few queries about the felling work at Intake Wood and wanted to set out what work is being undertaken and why. Hopefully this will answer any questions, but if you require any further information, please contact us.

Councillor Paul Peacock Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council addresses these questions below:

What are we doing? 

Firstly, we share the view of the community that this site is a valuable asset. It is covered by a Tree Preservation Order which means it must remain as woodland, and we want to ensure it is protected for generations to come. 

The woodland is a mature plantation of non-native trees (Corsican Pine) which we are transitioning to broadleaf woodland typical of the ancient Sherwood Forest Landscape.

We aim to conduct this transition slowly through selective thinning where possible, however safety concerns were raised about the size of a number of trees which were on a slope close to a row of houses. Corsican Pine is vulnerable to strong winds which can cause trees to uproot and fall. Thinning these areas only increases the risk, so the decision was made on safety grounds to remove the pine trees adjacent to the houses and replant with a native tree mix.

Works started on site in November and the final works are due to be completed by the end of April. The contractors undertaking the work are professionals with extensive experience, and work in line with national guidance. Please be assured they are also conducting checks for nest birds in each tree before starting any works.

Why is this happening?

Intake Woods is filled largely of non-native trees at an age where they are already reaching their life expectancy and are a risk to people and nearby buildings.  

While the majority of the work we will be doing is thinning the trees back and replanting native species, there are areas where the trees could potentially fall onto nearby properties. With the recent strong winds and the unpredictability of British weather, we need to take some felling work throughout April to keep resident safety a priority. 

We have looked at every option available including trimming down this section but unfortunately that would pose further risk as it would increase the trees instability making them even more likely to fall.  

As a District Council, we need to put the safety of our residents first and take action to fell a strip of trees to prevent potential future risk to people's safety.

These trees will be replaced with native trees more in keeping with the local area and will fit with the wider Sherwood Forest environment.   

We’re aware that the works look quite drastic, but it is essential to keep the area safe and to reintroduce native tree species.  

Working with the experts

The Council has sought advice and support throughout this process. Pre discussions were held with officers from the Forestry Commission and other environmental professionals on the best way to proceed before submitting the felling licence for Forestry Commission approval.

Will wildlife and access to the woods be protected? 

Yes. Work of this scale is always bit messy with some paths needing to be closed temporarily; however, we ask that site users be assured every effort will be made to keep routes open. Please obey any diversion or closer notices to protect yourself and others. 

Once the works are complete, we will be working to restore the pathways to a good standard. 

Restoration works will be conducted on the footpaths and trails and felled areas will be replanted with a native tree mix. These replacement trees have deeper roots than the Corsican Pine and will make the site safer for the neighbouring homes and the replacement species provide a better habitat for our native wildlife.

Animal welfare such as birds and nests will be appropriately evaluated and our qualified contractor will take the necessary steps to ensure they are protected.   

We’ve had signs up notifying nearby residents of the work sense October last year and if you require further information, please contact the District Council on 01636 650 000 or email customerservices@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk. 

Statement regarding unauthorised felling 

We are aware that a section of woodland has been felled when it was not supposed to be. This was not part of the plan, and we are investigating what has happened.

We are committed to doing everything possible, working with the Forestry Commission, to identify why this occurred, and take action to put things right.

We will continue to work with the local community to provide updates on our investigation.