Rodney Stoke Parish Council

Forestry England will soon be introducing car parking charges at Stockhill Wood, BA5 3AS.  

 

Visitors and residents are probably aware that Stockhill Wood is a working woodland. We’re proud to manage Stockhill Wood for people to enjoy, for wildlife to flourish, and as a sustainable source of timber for the local economy. 

 

Forestry England receives less than 20% of our funding from government, so we generate most of our income through trading activities, including timber production and car parking. As a public body, we reinvest the money we make into looking after the nation’s forests, supporting everything from tree planting and biodiversity projects, to trails, car parks, and benches. 

 

Since we created the car park at Stockhill Wood, it has been free of charge. But, like all businesses, our costs continue to rise. This includes services like surface repairs and vegetation management.  

 

Each year, it costs several thousand pounds to maintain the car park, manage vegetation, and clear litter and fly tips. While we have provided free parking at Stockhill Wood for many years, this is sadly no longer sustainable. 

 

Importantly, the forest itself remains free to visit; the charge is to park. The money that visitors pay to use the car park will be reinvested to care for Stockhill Wood and the local area, helping to keep the forest accessible and enjoyable. 

 

We need to ensure that any improvements that we would like to make at Stockhill Wood are sustainably funded so that they can be maintained and replaced for the long term. Modest car parking charges will help us to continue looking after Stockhill Wood for everyone to enjoy now and for future generation.  

 

Charges and payment methods 

We don’t yet know exactly when parking charges will come into place, but forest visitors will have seen the machines that were installed last Thursday (14th May 2026). The machines are currently installed, but not operational yet. Charging is likely to take effect later this summer. 

 

The charges will be: 

 


Car/Van/Motorbikes 

 
2 hours   £2 
4 hours   £3 
All Day    £5 

 

Campervan/ Motorhome/Minibus    All Day    £6 
 
 
 
Visitors will be able to pay by using one of the pay & display machines in the car park, using card or contactless. 

 

Alternatives to paying for parking 

For regular visitors to Stockhill Wood, we recommend Forestry England membership. This provides a year of unlimited parking at Stockhill Wood and dozens of other Forestry England sites for £96 per household, which equates to less than £2 per week: https://www.forestryengland.uk/membership 

 

Visitors are also welcome at any of our public forests or woodlands that don’t have parking charges. 

 

Who will manage the car park? 

Stockhill Wood car park is owned and managed by Forestry England. It will continue to be managed under Forestry England’s parking terms & conditions, which include adherence to the Highway Code and parking appropriately: https://www.forestryengland.uk/parking 

 

 

I hope this information is useful to the parish council and to your residents. If residents or forest visitors have any questions, please direct them to westengland@forestryengland.uk to ensure that they receive a timely response from our team.