The National  Trust, owners of Woolbeding and Pound common, have proposed a plan to surround Woolbeding and Pound common with 7.5 miles of barbed wire topped stock fence. This is in order to assist them in maintaining the habitat, which has seriously deteriorated over the last thirty years under their care. They plan to let only 12 cows graze freely over the 425 acres. We,  the commoners and local residents have no confidence that this will achieve anything  except the enclosure of one of that last open commons in the  south of England and the loss of everyone’s freedom to roam the common in complete safety. Cows are at present grazing the common in enclosed electric wire fields… however there have recently been throughout the country an increase in fatalities  to walkers who get the wrong side of free roaming cattle.

Something very precious is at stake.

The National Trust need the  approval of the Secretary of State for the Environment  to approve their plan, and to receive the enormous amount of grant money it will need. We, the Woolbeding Commoners, mean to make legal representations to said Secretary of State to seriously question the plausibility of their plan. Please sign to petition to challenge what looks very likely to be a stitch up between the National Trust, Natural England, and the Secretary of State for the Environment.