Down in Kent, a parish council has taken matters into its own hands. Boughton Monchelsea Parish Council has created Salts Wood, a 33-acre community woodland planted with 22,000 native trees and laid with a hard‑surfaced circular path. The project features in a GOV.UK case study and it reads like a practical playbook for places outside the London spotlight.

Vice chair Andy Humphryes sets out the thinking in the government write‑up: make a new wood that anyone can use, while giving wildlife space to settle. There’s nothing flashy about it; the route circles the site, the planting is native, and it’s open to the whole community.

Accessibility is baked in rather than bolted on. Hard paths mean prams, wheelchairs and mobility scooters can do a full loop in all seasons, not just on a dry July weekend. For villages and estates where pavements spill straight onto fast roads, that’s the difference between getting out daily and staying indoors.

Scale matters here. Thirty‑three acres is big enough to feel like a proper wood yet close enough to walk to, and 22,000 native trees set the tone for a landscape that will mature over years, not decades. The circular design also makes it simple to wayfind, so families can choose a ten‑minute wander or stretch it longer.

This is the unglamorous bit of place‑making that actually gets used. A firm surface, clear routes and a sense of safety pull people in at all times of day. Dog walkers, shift workers and school groups don’t need signs telling them it’s for the community-the design tells them that.

Because the planting is native, the new wood works for birds, pollinators and small mammals while still being a good neighbour to the village. The path sits as a gentle edge, keeping footfall predictable and letting the middle of the wood grow on undisturbed.

For towns from Leigh to Low Fell, the lesson is straightforward: start with access, make it circular, keep it local. You don’t have to wait for a grand national scheme if a parish, town council or neighbourhood forum can shape a similar site and invite people in.

None of this dodges the graft of upkeep. Paths need checking, litter needs lifting and trees need looking after in the first seasons. But the big call is made once: set it up to be used every day and you’ll get the footfall and the volunteer energy that follows.

That’s why this government case study is worth a look for Northern officers and councillors. It shows delivery at parish scale, not a consultant’s drawing board in SW1. If you’ve got a spare field edge, a reclaimed tip or a triangle of scrub behind a retail park, the template is right there.

Salts Wood isn’t trying to be a destination. It’s a well‑made, local wood that people can reach, round and home within half an hour. In a winter where budgets are thin and wellbeing is under pressure, that’s a success worth copying.