Project area parishes
THE VILLAGE OF DUNSFOLD AND ITS COMMONS AND WOODLANDS by Alan Ground
Chairman, Dunsfold Parish Council
As the Dunsfold Village Design Statement begins:
“Dunsfold is a rural parish in SW Surrey set on Wealden clay. Its
unique character has been developed in its remote wooded setting over
the last millennium”.
Or as Pevsner on Surrey says:
”An attractive, genuine village in the Weald, well south of Godalming,
mostly built along the side of an enormous long common. This is narrow
at the north end and widens out into something of the size and wildness
of a heath at the south end, with scattered houses round the edge completely
lost in scrub.”
The description remains valid today, the village’s landscape setting
recognised as lying in “Countryside Beyond the Green Belt”
and within an “Area of Great Landscape Value”. Dunsfold is
one of the most wooded parishes in England, most of Chiddingfold Forest
being located within the Parish.
Dunsfold’s 80 acres of Commons, ponds and woodlands are owned by
Waverley Borough Council and leased to Dunsfold Parish Council subject
to a Regulation Scheme under the Commons Act 1839, the Lease containing
a Management Plan with eight objectives:-
1. Maintaining and enhancing the existing range of wildlife habitats
and preserving the rural character of the Common.
2. Conserving populations of rare species.
3. Recognising and using the educational potential of the common particularly
for local schools and youth groups.
4. Increasing public enjoyment of the common.
5. Balancing the needs of recreation and conservation.
6. Responding to land ownership, public access and safety obligations
- including regular inspection of trees, structures, paths and ponds.
7. Recognising and responding to parking and erosion problems.
8. Developing and using the knowledge, abilities and talents of local
groups and partner organisations.
On the Dunsfold Parish Council side the management is overseen by the Council and delegated to a Parish Council Commons Steering Group comprising Parish Councillors and representatives of The Friends of Dunsfold Common, a charity with villager membership devoted to assisting in, and contributing to the costs of, maintenance and protection of the Commons. On the Waverley Borough Council side, the Countryside Ranger provides technical advice on the management of the Commons and attends the Steering Group meetings.
The management programme for the Parish Council is a challenging one, the performance of which hitherto has been assisted by contributions from the Friends and from Waverley and the services of its Countryside Ranger. In the future, in accordance with Objective 8, the help of all interested specialist groups will be of great importance in achieving the management objectives for this important part of the West Weald Landscape.
