Row over Forestry England's homeowners 'property access tax'

FORESTRY England has rejected accusations of levying a “property tax” on New Forest homeowners after the price of licences for access over verges soared more than 80-fold.

The agency defended the rising costs by arguing the £5,000 fees for the so-called ransom strips enabled “vital” maintenance work to continue amid squeezes on central government funding.

Forestry England (FE) responded after Burley man Maurice Jackman complained about the scale of the rises to New Forest West MP Sir Desmond Swayne – who described them as “outrageous”.

The row concerns homeowners having to pay for a 60-year licence to get access to their properties from the road over parcels of ground which are part of the New Forest Crown Lands, managed by FE. The charge dates back to the 1949 New Forest Act.

The issue has been highlighted by Mr Jackman, who wants to develop three properties which for each he must pay the licence fee of £5,000 – which is 83 times higher than the cost of just £60 in 1988.

Speaking to the A&T, Mr Jackman reported instances where homeowners agreed a sale of their home only to have to reduce it by £5,000 to take into account the purchase of a new licence.

Buyers had also found their bank unwilling to advance money on homes where the existing licence did not have long enough to run to cover the period of the mortgage.

Mr Jackman added: “Several people I have spoken to are not aware of the current licence fee. It is possible that a family may have bought their property when the fee was much lower and are not financially able to pay £5,000 when it becomes due, not anticipating the increases that FE have implemented.”

Sir Desmond told the A&T he would explore making “enquiries and representations” with Forestry England.

He added: “So-called ‘ransom strips’ are a complex area of law. The liability ought to have been drawn to their attention when their solicitor dealt with the purchase on their behalf.

“As to the scale of increase – it sounds outrageous.”

In response, an FE spokeswoman denied the rises were “unscrupulous”, adding: “In an era when public funds are being severely squeezed this ability to generate funds to support our work is vital.

“Some of the work we do is visible and includes providing hundreds of car parks and miles of footpaths and trails, while other projects may seem less visible but are equally as important, such as monitoring tree health and enhancing habitats for wildlife.”

She added that many UK land managers and local councils also issued property owners with access licence agreements.

“Historically, licence fees were related to the rateable value of properties. However, the current licence fee represents a small proportion of the value of a property and spread over 60 years equates to £83.33 per year,” she said.

“The licence can be transferred for the remaining period of any licence to the new owner, however short or long that period may be. This is not a property tax, householders are merely paying for the privilege of making use of their neighbour’s land.

“Arranging for a new licence before selling is just one of the many things a vendor might have to do in preparation for a sale, such as obtaining retrospective planning consent for alterations, or getting an Energy Performance Certificate.”