Booth Wood

This quiet and beautiful woodland is just over four hectares and is the perfect place to take a stroll amongst nature. 

The woodland is dominated by oak, with later plantings of ash and conifer. During the spring months, the wood is home to native bluebells.

Historically, the wood was almost certainly used by the Garendon Estate for game birds.

Booth Wood is situated on the western fringes of Loughborough with main access from Rowbank Way (LE11 4WD).

Booth Wood Local Nature Reserve Consultation

As part of our 2016 Open Spaces Strategy we outlined plans to create local nature reserves across the borough to support and encourage more wildlife, Booth Wood is one of the areas we would like to designate in this way.

We held a consultation in 2020 to gather residents and visitors’ views on the draft booth wood management plan which sets out the vision, objectives and priorities for the management of the site in consultation with the local community.

The consultation received a total of 125 responses. Out of the 125 responses, 84 people said they had read the draft management plan, 52 were interested in a Booth Wood Friends Group and 48 respondents left additional comments about Booth Wood.

The most common topics mentioned in the comments included:

• Provision of a dog waste bin and seating
• Improved signage
• Discouragement of motorbikes
• Increase in access to other areas
• Formalise the entrance at Leighton Avenue

None of the consultation responses raised any concerns about the content of the management plan and we’ve now sent it to Natural England to see Booth Wood designated as a Local Nature Reserve.

As a Local Nature Reserve the woodland would be given more protection from development and planners would need to consider the impact of the area caused by nearby planning applications.

Booth Wood Management Plan

The Booth Wood Management Plan sets out the vision, objectives and priorities for the management of the site in consultation with the local community. The management plan can be viewed below.

Booth Wood Management Plan 2021 2026 (PDF Document, 2.31 Mb)

There are a number of figures in the management plan which can also be viewed individually below.

• Booth Wood Management Plan Figure 1 - Site Location (PDF Document, 1.69 Mb)
• Booth Wood Management Plan Figure 2 - Site boundary (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb)
• Booth Wood Management Plan Figure 3 - Structure (PDF Document, 7.62 Mb)
• Booth Wood Management Plan Figure 4 Local Wildlife Site (PDF Document, 0.21 Mb)
• Booth Wood Management Plan Figure 5 - Historical Maps (PDF Document, 1.1 Mb)
• Booth Wood Management Plan Figure 6 - Compartments (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb)
• Booth Wood Management Plan Figure 7 - Woodland Types (PDF Document, 0.31 Mb)
• Booth Wood Management Plan Figure 8 - Concept Map (PDF Document, 0.28 Mb)