Partners - if you would like to more about partnering the Forest of Marston Vale, please contact tony.talbot@marstonvale.org or call 01234-762601

To transform the the Marston Vale from a damaged landscape with 3% woodland cover in 1991 to a well wooded landscape with 30% woodland cover by 2030 is a massive and very exciting challenge. The transformation can only happen by the Forest Team working in partnership with Government, the Local Authorities, developers, business and the local community. Since 1991, the broad and successful partnerships have resulted in publicly accessible, native broad leaf woodland cover increasing to 8% across the Marston Vale.

Key partnerships have been developed and very significant funding of over £20 million has been brought into the Marston Vale since 1991.

The Forest of Marston Vale’s 61 square mile area is split almost equally between the two Unitary authority areas of Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council.  Both councils contribute directly to the continued success of the Forest through invaluable service level agreements and through being customers of the Forest Centre – which donates all profit to the Marston Vale Trust for the ongoing creation of the Forest of Marston Vale. 

Both Unitary authorities are also the planning authorities for the Forest area and provide essential policy support that ensures that development makes adequate and appropriate contributions to the creation of the Forest of Marston Vale through section 106 agreements.

Case Studies:

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) – in 2004, the Marston Vale Trust was awarded a total of £2.9 million to seed fund an ambitious suite of projects collectively named ‘Breathing Spaces’. The team has successfully delivered Breathing Spaces on time and on budget with the following outcomes: Purchase of land and creation of new community woodland at: Kempston Wood End (Buttons Ramsey, 8 hectares), Iron Gate Corner (Ridgeway Wood 13.4 hectares), Cranfield (Rectory Wood 7.5 hectares), Shortstown (Shocott Spring 52 hectares) and Houghton Conquest (Conquest Wood 8 hectares). In additional to the creation of new community woodland, funds from ODPM were used to complete the National Cycle Network 51 between Blunham and Sandy with the restoration of the Blunham viaduct over the Ivel Valley and a contribution from ODPM completed the funding required to deliver the Swans Legacy statue on the Marsh Leys roundabout at Marsh Leys.

CLG approved a £2.3 million bid from the Forest in April 2006 for the Forest to acquire the Grange Estate at Willington and masterplan the creation of Bedford River Valley Park. The Framework document was completed and published in April 2008. This exciting opportunity could lead to the creation of a 2000 acre park running from Priory Country Park out to Willington with a mixture of habitat creation and recreational facilities which could include a rowing lake for Bedford. For more info - go to www.bedfordrivervalleypark.org

Landfill Communities Fund– The Forest has received very significant funding over the years from the landfill communities fund. We  received £2 million from GrantScape towards the construction of the Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park and £1.8 million for the National Cycle Network 51 linking Milton Keynes to Bedford and onto Sandy. WREN have contributed over £ ½ million towards woodland creation and access improvements throughout our Marston Vale sites over recent years.

Millennium Commission – the Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park is one of 30 Millennium Projects funded by the Millennium Commission. A £2 million contribution was made by the Commission towards a £6 million project which has created the focal point for the Forest Team and a 250 hectare country park.

Natural England's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund –This has funded  over £1/2 a million of work within Bedford River Valley Park including access improvements, landscape work and community involvement.

Both Cranfield Parish Council and Houghton Conquest Parish Council have made valuable contributions to Marston Vale Trust to enable it to secure and deliver new community woodland in their parish. This demonstrates an extraordinary endorsement by the local community of the aims of the Trust to deliver community benefits in the Marston Vale.

Bedfordshire County Council – first conceived and promoted the idea of the Marston Vale becoming one of England’s 12 Community Forests. In the early years, the Council employed the Forest Team and helped steer the vision behind the Forest Plan. Bedfordshire County Council ceased to exist on local government reorganisation in 2009.