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15
Nov
Sale of public land between Knaresborough and Harrogate averted — for now
The need to sell land returned to public use after 250 years between Knaresborough and Harrogate has been averted — until the end of the year.
The Knaresborough Forest Park campaign raised £864,000 to buy 60 acres of land and protect it from development. The Stray Ferret attended the celebration event to mark the success of the campaign, which you can read about here.
But the sum included a £300,000 loan that was due to be repaid by November 5 before high interest rates were charged on any outstanding balance. If the sum wasn't raised, land could have been sold to generate funds.
A fundraising appeal to pay back the loan has raised £166,000. Other donations sent to Long Lands Common, the community benefit society overseeing the scheme, means the amount needed to be paid off has fallen to less than £85,000.
The philanthropic lender, Julia Davies of We Have The Power, has now offered to waive the interest accrued if the loan can be paid off by December 31.
Geoff Freeston, site lead for Knaresborough Forest Park, said:
We are truly grateful for this gesture from Julia, acknowledging the effort we have made and the wonderful achievement of the community in reducing the loan to this extent. We are hopeful that with further support, we can achieve Julia’s deadline of 31 December. It would be such a wonderful feeling to start 2025 having paid off the loan. Then we could really start working on the land to make our plans for it into a reality.
We are already working with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and White Rose Forest to fund projects on the land, including newt ponds and the creation of a wood meadow.
People can support the project by buying gift shares or donating on behalf of friends or family. Click here for more details.
Alison Organ, membership secretary of Long Lands Common, said:
We have responded to feedback from supporters who wanted to buy shares as a gift for their grandchildren, but couldn’t do it because by law they have to be over 16.
Alongside our beautiful gift share card, we are designing a new Christmas card, with a lovely cover designed by our chair and resident artist James McKay, showing a wintry scene in Knaresborough Forest as it would have looked in medieval times.
Supporters can donate money to KFP and send one of these cards to say that they have donated on behalf of the recipient.
The Knaresborough Forest Park project aims to protect 60 acres of land on the edge of the Nidd Gorge between Knaresborough and Harrogate, holding it in the common ownership of thousands of shareholder co-owners for the benefit of future generations.
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