Invitation to take part in our consultation

We would like to invite you to attend a drop-in event on:
Date: Wednesday 11th February 
Time: Between 3.30 pm - 6.00 pm 
Location: Sambourne Parish Rooms

Colleagues from both the forestry and biodiversity teams will be present to discuss the plans and answer your questions.

For more information and to register click here

If you can’t make it, we would still appreciate your feedback. 
Please follow this link to have your say.

Help shape the Forest near you 

The Heart of England Forest is developing a Woodland Creation Plan for phases 2 and 3 at Reins Farm.

It is important for us to gather thoughts and questions from the local community. 

If you would like to:

• Register to attend the consultation
• Leave feedback in place of attending
• Or register for updates For more information click on the Link below

https://heartofenglandforest.org/rf2consult?mc_cid=4e9c7d0b13

Growing the Forest at Reins Farm – Sambourne. 

The Heart of England Forest acquired an area of land in your local area in August 2025. We are in the process of planting phase one, at Eastern Hill, this winter. 

We would like to continue to work closely with you and all our neighbours to achieve our aim of creating and nurturing a huge new native broadleaf forest as we enter further phases of planting at this site.

What is the Heart of England Forest?

The Heart of England Forest is a registered charity set up to plant, protect, and preserve a 30,000-acre native broadleaf forest for people and wildlife. The Forest stretches along the Warwickshire/Worcestershire border from south Birmingham, across the Ancient Forests of Arden and Feckenham, to the north Cotswolds.

In time, this national asset will provide a lung for the Midlands, and the array of forest habitats will increase biodiversity, providing a vital haven for wildlife and light airy glades and shady canopies for health and relaxation. 

More information about the charity here

Growing the Forest at Reins Farm - Sambourne

The Heart of England Forest has acquired approximately 73 hectares (175 acres) of land formerly known as Reins Farm, located in Sambourne and near Astwood Bank. We are planning to plant new woodlands on this ground over three years. Phase one, Eastern Hill, began this winter. We hope that phase 2, the zone to the east of Oak Tree Lane, on the map attached, can start in winter 2026.

Before we plant any trees, we undertake community engagement and site checks to ensure that we preserve the important features on the site and listen to the views of our neighbours and the local community.

Once completed, we will submit our plans to the Forestry Commission, seeking permission to plant trees.

The land formerly known as Reins Farm presents an opportunity to create a mixed broadleaf forest to benefit biodiversity and enhance the local environment. We are also exploring creating a network of permissive paths across the land to join the existing public rights of way. We welcome community input on this opportunity and how we could link up local communities through a new path network.

We hope you can come along, but if you are unable to make it, have any questions, or would like to discuss any comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us via email [email protected], or by calling Emma, our Forest Projects Coordinator, on 07843 813944 by 13th February 2026.

We want to do everything we can to inform our friends and neighbours about our plans, create opportunities to engage and work with each other, and ensure the Forest benefits everyone in the community. The Heart of England Forest is looking forward to working with you and the community in and around Reins Farm. 

Best wishes,

Tom Davies

Director of Land Management