7,000 trees to be planted at new woodland in Nanpantan 

Around 7,000 trees will be planted to create a new woodland in Nanpantan in Loughborough.

Charnwood Borough Council will carry out the tree planting which will see the 8.6-hectare area just off Nanpantan Road Cemetery made into a new woodland.

The creation of the new woodland will cost £172,000 with the planting of trees and a new all accessibility track which is being funded through a grant from The National Forest.

The Council has worked with Forwoods Forestry and Woodland Consultancy to access grant funding and undertake the project.

Cllr Beverley Gray, the Council’s lead member for biodiversity, said: “I am so pleased that we are able to begin work on creating a new woodland in Nanpantan, Loughborough.

“The woodland will be a great place for residents and visitors to get active and enjoy the outdoors for decades to come. This project will mean that we have planted over 20,000 trees in the past four years to help increase biodiversity and encourage more people to enjoy our open spaces across the borough. We are thankful to The National Forest for the funding and are delighted that we have been successful in securing it to continue our work towards making a greener Charnwood.”

The tree planting is set to begin this month.

Stuart Dainton, head of land management and estate at National Forest, said: “It is great to be able to work with Charnwood Borough Council in creating a new woodland on the edge of Loughborough. This woodland will provide a hub for the people of Charnwood to meet with friends, family and explore the outdoors right on their doorstep.”

The tree saplings which will be planted will be a combination of native broadleaf species including oak, birch, ash and rowan. It is expected that the woodland will take around 30 years to fully mature with some trees maturing within ten years.

Planting of the new woodland will take place in two fields off Nanpantan Road Cemetery and is just over one mile from the popular Outwoods woodland in Loughborough.

A community woodland was planted in Hathern in 2022. The Hathern Community Woodland was the largest tree planting project that the Council has carried out with 14,000 trees planted across the 15-acre site.