Urgent closure of Larkey Valley Wood

Extensive damage to a number of trees at Larkey Valley Wood in Chartham has forced us to temporarily close the site for safety reasons.

Our officers visited for an inspection yesterday (Wednesday 23 February) following the recent storms and found several locations where trees were either blocking paths or were left hanging and broken over paths.

 

This creates significant health and safety dangers that we, as the landowner, simply cannot ignore. Closing the woods is the only responsible action we can take.

We will shortly be blocking the entrance to the car park to prevent access and signs will be placed at the numerous formal and informal entrances to the woods to tell people they are closed.

Given the extensive area the woods covers, we clearly cannot stop people from entering if they are determined to do so. But we would strongly urge anyone thinking of visiting to keep well clear for their own safety. 

 

We will now be working with Kent Wildlife Trust, which manages the land on our behalf, to get the woods back into a safe condition.

There is a lot to do and the ability to secure specialist contractors may be difficult. As a result, we cannot put a timescale on a reopening date at the moment.

We apologise for any inconvenience this temporary closure may cause, but are absolutely certain that residents will understand the importance of the action we've taken.

Published: 24 February 2022