Public meeting on Curtis Wood’s future management

Local people can find out more about how Curtis Wood will be cared for in the coming years at a public meeting next month.

Curtis Wood (pictured above) is a 13-acre site, designated as a Local Nature Reserve, in Herne. It is known for its woodland flowers, meadow areas and variety of wildlife, and is owned and looked after by the city council.

The meeting at the Herne Centre on Tuesday 1 July between 6.45pm and 7.45pm will see the council setting out its new management plan for the woodland area and hearing the views of residents.

The plan details measures to allow more light to reach the woodland floor, creating better conditions for woodland flowers to establish and spread, and steps to prevent bluebells close to footpaths from being trampled.

In addition, the council is keen to involve local people in recording wildlife sightings, which will provide information to guide future management of the wood.

This focus on local involvement is particularly important as it follows an incident last year where work to cut back some of the woodland caused concern within the community, from which lessons have been learned.

The council’s recently-appointed Tree and Woodland Officer, Martin Thomas, will give a presentation, followed by an open discussion to hear residents’ views.

The event will be opened by Cabinet member for the environment and climate change, Cllr Mel Dawkins.

Cllr Dawkins said: “We know there is plenty of passion locally about our woodlands and open spaces, so we are expecting a good turnout for this meeting.

“Curtis Wood is one of our most precious areas of woodland in the district. We can reassure residents that there are no wholesale changes or over management – this is much more about the relatively small things we can do to enhance the site for biodiversity and wildlife.

“We really hope people will want to get involved in what we are seeking to do and help with how we want to look after this important site in the years ahead.”

No pre-booking is required for the meeting – just pop along.

Published: 16 June 2025