Newtown Common
Winter Work Programme 2023-24
Newtown Common is owned by Hampshire County Council but managed and maintained by your Parish Council. Our goal is to both preserve the Common for future generations to enjoy, whilst encouraging the growth and health of
its plants, trees and wildlife to maintain this increasingly rare habitat.
Below you can find an outline plan of work that will potentially be carried out over the winter by contractors and volunteers, including Green Gym, and by forestry students from Sparsholt College. If you have any questions, your Parish Council will be pleased to answer them.
After the very poor turn out at last winter’s ‘Village Work Parties’ we have decided to discontinue these for the time being.
The Sparsholt College forestry students will return again to carry out more work on the Common. Their focus will be on general woodland management in areas on the western side of the Common, identified in blue on the map overleaf and within guidelines provided by the Parish Council. If you are interested in buying firewood resulting from this work, please contact the Parish Council Clerk.
Green Gym and other volunteers will continue to control invasive plant species in areas of woodland and to maintain the areas of open heath throughout the Common, in line with the Parish Council’s Higher Level Stewardship agreement with Natural England. If you are interested in joining in with Green Gym tasks please see their website for details and dates.
Contractors will once again be used for specialist work – to cut Birch for besom-making, for flailing Gorse and dense scrub and for mowing electricity wayleaves and areas of open heathland. They will also do further clearance of dense Holly to the north west of Leigh House which was started last winter.
Bonfires are only used to dispose of cut material when it is deemed safe to do so after careful consideration of weather conditions, location, etc. They are only ever left in a safe and tidy condition. Please do not interfere with dying bonfires and never add any material to them. The Fire Brigade are always informed in advance of bonfires being lit as part of management work on the Common.
The numbers below relate to the numbers on the map above.
Work areas for Sparsholt College students
ONE Continue removal of Holly already started by Green Gym, and carry out selective removal of other trees so as to allow better growth of the remaining trees and to allow more light and air to reach the ground layer with its important and uncommon flora. It is likely that Green Gym will continue be involved in manual work to assist in this area.
TWO Continue work started in winter 22-23 to selectively fell Birch and other trees and scrub along edge of open heathland but maintain scrub/woodland edge to main road.
Work areas for Green Gym
THREE Continue selective removal of Stranvesia and Holly started at the Village Work Party in January 2023 and since carried out by Green Gym.
FOUR Dispose of arisings from contractor’s work clearing Holly.
FIVE Continue selective removal of young (1-6 year old, 1”-2” diameter), mainly Birch, scrub from largely open areas of the eastern Common. Most of this will be done with loppers and bow-saws.
SIX Clear invasive Holly, Rhododendron, Stranvesia and Cotoneaster from woodland both for habitat improvement and fire risk reduction.
Contractors’ work
SEVEN It is hoped that the King’s besom-maker, Bradley Nash, from Tadley, will crop Birch from these areas beside the electricity wayleave, using a chainsaw to take out 1”-2” diameter stems.
EIGHT Continue the clearance of dense areas of Holly to the north and west of Leigh House.
NINE Mowing of wayleaves and selected areas on both sides of the Common, including some path-side mowing to maintain open paths and fire-breaks.
Other volunteer work
Removal of Scots Pine seedlings from areas of open heath.
Removal of Holly seedlings and treatment of cut stumps.
Other work that may become necessary due to weather or other circumstances.