The ongoing challenge of encroachments for the New Forest CDA

This report is from James Young, chair of the Encroachments Sub Committee and was first published in the New Forest CDA annual report for 2025.

It has been another busy year for the Encroachments Sub Committee and we receive excellent support from the Encroachments Working Group, which is now up and running again under the secretariat of Julie Stubbs with the support of the New Forest Association. All the original stakeholders have re-engaged and we go forward into 2025 with renewed enthusiasm and determination.

As is usual we have had reports of several new encroachments and these include a couple in Ashurst where the fences appear to have been moved and a heap of boulders and soil in Brockenhurst which is not only preventing access by stock but also could pose a danger to them.

Unfortunately, we are also investigating a serious encroachment by a commoner at Minstead involving over 300 metres of fence moved out from the original. This will have to be resolved because it involves a much larger area of land lost than on a standard garden encroachment.

Inevitably, several long-standing encroachments remain on file and we are desperately trying to encourage the Highways Authority to get involved in our group to try and bring these to a conclusion. This is because not only have the fences been moved out from the original but they are now so close to the metalled surface that they present a hazard to road users.

It is not all gloom and doom, however. A new fence was under construction at Holmsley when we were alerted to the problem. The landowner proved most helpful and involved us at all stages when the hedge was cut back severely and the new fence as far as possible replaced on the line of the original.

Encroachments are such an important part of the work the CDA does and are not something that we can deal with on our own, so we look forward to further successes on all fronts as well.

James Young, chair of Encroachments Sub Committee