A Knaresborough voluntary group has bought four plots of farmland totalling 61 acres to turn into a community green space and nature reserve.
Renaissance Knaresborough launched a fundraising campaign in December to acquire privately-owned land between Knaresborough and Starbeck.
The land between Beryl Burton Cycle Way and the A59 Harrogate Road is not currently accessible to the public and there were fears it could one day be used for development.
The campaign aimed to prevent that by reinstating part of the ancient Knaresborough forest, with the land owned by individual shareholders and open to the public for recreation and conservation.
The campaign received £160,000 of pledges from individuals and organisations and a £410,000 donation from the George A Moore Foundation in Leeds. George Moore, a successful businessman who died in 2016, was born and raised in Knaresborough.
An interest-free philanthropic loan by We Have The Power, an organisation set up by impact investor Julia Davies to empower community groups to improve local biodiversity and tackle the climate crisis, enabled a bid to be submitted to the land agents.
However, the campaigners now need to raise about £300,000 to pay back the loan. They hope to raise the sum within six months.
Liz Baxandall, chair of Renaissance Knaresborough, said:
“The combination of the loan, substantial donations and community pledges have enabled Renaissance Knaresborough to realise its dream of protecting the greenbelt and delivering such a wonderful legacy project.
“Julia’s last-minute loan enabled us to secure all the land, a goal we had thought was unrealisable.
“We are so very grateful for all the amazing support we are receiving to protect over 60 acres of beautiful greenbelt countryside between our towns.”
Campaigners celebrate the land purchase
The campaign is similar to the successful Long Lands Common initiative that raised £375,000 to buy 30 acres of land near Nidderdale Greenway.
Fears over green belt
Ms Baxandall said there were major concerns about the amount of building going on and the protection of green belt land.
Knaresborough Forest Park, she said, would “involve all ages working together to create a really special haven for nature and humans”, adding:
“We will pay off the philanthropic loan with the money people are pledging so please keep those pledges coming in.
“Pledges to buy community shares send a very clear message that Knaresborough Forest Park is hugely important to people. Over 900 people have already pledged. We cannot thank you all enough.”
Read more:
- Campaign to create Knaresborough Forest Park issues urgent plea for support
- £405,000 campaign to restore public access to 41 acres of the old Knaresborough Forest
The fields were once the eastern end of the ancient Royal Forest of Knaresborough. The land adjoins Long Lands Common at one end and drops down towards the River Nidd at the other.
George Eglese, a director of Knaresborough Forest Park, said:
“The land is already home to many species of flora and fauna with magnificent old hedges, streams, wetlands, and grasslands.
“There are panoramic views, taking in the town, the castle and St. John’s, which provide a fantastic opportunity to tell tale of ancient Knaresborough and the forest.
“The community has come together and achieved something to be incredibly proud of, something that will be there for many generations to come.”