A bare wasteland on the doorstep of Warley looks set to be transformed into picturesque green woodland for the benefit of local people under a deal announced last week.

Essex County Council is planning to sell 34 acres of dreary Warley Hill grassland, much of which was created by the building of the M25 two decades ago, to the Forestry Commission to be turned into woodland for the benefit of the local community.

The site, to the the north of Tylers Common, is likely to be planted with a mixture of native trees, like oak, ash and conifers, and will be equipped with footpaths, bridleways and seats to ensure public access.

One Warley resident who has already welcomed the plan is local councillor and chairman of Brentwood Council's Parks and Recreation panel Michael Taylor, a regular walker on the site.

He said: "Given its location, anything that can be done on the site will be an environmental improvement.

"I knew that area before the M25 went through, and the environmental impact was tremendous. Now we can see what can be done to improve it.

"The area is actually pretty barren and I am sure that it will benefit from some appropriate planting, as long as there is a balance between tree cover and public access."

The Forestry Commission, which hopes to add the new wood to the rapidly expanding Thames Chase Community Forest, wants to hear how local residents would like to see the land designed before finalising its plans.

Community consultation officer Carol Donaldson said: "This is good news. At the moment it's not a particularly inspiring place to go, but hopefully we can change that and open it up for the public.

"So now we are going to local people to find out what they want, where they would like the seats and which views they would like to keep."

Two hour guided walks of the site, which lies on the other side of the M25 off Warley Road, take place at 11am on Sunday December 3 and the following Sunday.

If you would like to have your say on the project, contact Carol Donaldson on 01708 641880.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.