bitchy | Windsor locals are absolutely furious about the Wales family’s Forest Lodge move

It’s so interesting to see the months-long hum of grumbling about the Prince and Princess of Wales’s move to Forest Lodge. Because it involves Prince William and Kate, the British media has largely pulled their punches about the insanity of their move, especially their land-grab of over 150 acres of public park and their security shutting down a major park access point. The move has also caused chaos at a Christmas-tree shop. And they evicted lease-holding tenants AND they shut down a children’s center close to Forest Lodge. But hey, at least Forest Lodge has a self-contained flat for the Middletons, right? Well, the Mirror had an exclusive about furious locals and how the Wales family has really pissed off the community. Some highlights:

The locals are furious: Other Windsor locals have expressed their deep upset following the couple’s move to Forest Lodge. Some locals who have enjoyed the vast grounds of Great Windsor Park for years, the new ‘ring of steel’ around the couple’s lavish abode has made them feel unwelcome on their own turf. Homeowners in the neighbouring areas say they were aghast when one day in in September, they woke up to the upsetting news that they could no longer access vast swathes of oak-studded open fields near the Waleses’ new home. They say that around 150 acres of previously publicly accessible land has been closed off to accommodate the couple and their three children, whose safety is of priority concern.

It sounds like the peasants are close to organizing a revolt: Tina, who lives on the opposite side of Forest Lodge, says that local dog walkers like herself have been left bereft over the new ban zone, which affects the Cranbourne Gate entrance of the park. The woman, who had walked that same route for 15 years, says that those who were initially more optimistic about Kate and Wills’ big move didn’t realise that the park – and Forest Lodge – are not actually owned by the Royal Family. “After it had been announced that William was moving there, I spoke to various people I bumped into and we speculated about the closure of the fields and footpaths and the general view was ‘I really hope not’. But some were sanguine about it because they wrongly assumed that the Royal Family own the park,” she said.

Tina on how the Waleses’ security started taking over the park: “There were months of works around Forest Lodge [before the move], big trenches were dug so clearly a lot of infrastructure went in. They planted a new hedge and installed a new fence behind the back garden of the house. And then the new stock fence went up around the fields between Cranbourne and Rangers Gate. The drive was resurfaced. Finally, the cameras appeared.”

Thousands of people have been affected: Tina also warns that while the exclusion zone has been widely portrayed as only being the small two-mile radius, the reality is that thousands of acres have been lost to the public. “Anyone can buy a pass to the Windsor Great Park car parks and walk in the public areas. So, by closing Cranbourne Gate car park and an area of land behind the Forest Lodge about three times the size of St James’ Park, thousands of people from miles around have been affected,” she said.

The new work-around isn’t the same: Windsor Great Park notes that parking will still be available at Ranger’s Gate car park, which is “just down the road”. But for dog walkers like Tina, it’s not the same, as that area is designed for horse crossings and you have to walk for miles to access an area that dogs can go off-lead. “When I realised we only had a couple of days left of access, I did go over there, and everyone I met was upset,” she explains. “I ran into a woman there that I recognised, and she said to me that when she got the email, she cried. For people who have walked there for years, it’s so sad.”

Other upset locals are sharing their frustrations on social media: One woman called Frances writing on Facebook: “Cranbourne Gate is being closed at the end of the month. Now that bridleway is useless as it leads onto a main road, instead of into the park! I have ridden and hiked that route for 42 years!”

Tina is making lots of noise: “I also met a couple of people who had keys to the forest, which is the other side of Forest Lodge,” Tina added. “And they were desperately upset, it’s like their back garden. You got a key to the forest you lived within walking distance, around half a mile. So it’s not as many people who have been affected there, but the affect on them, of course, is absolutely massive. You’ve got a dog and you’ve got hundreds of acres of woods that you’ve been allowed to use for years, and now you can’t.”

[From The Mirror]

I wonder if the “solution” to this issue might be the obvious one: William and Kate will have some kind of come-to-Jesus moment, suddenly realizing that their Forest Lodge move has upset locals, and announce that for the good of the community, they’d be willing to move to a different Windsor property, one which wouldn’t need 150 acres of public parkland. Perhaps this is how they play the long game and get Royal Lodge after all? It would make sense and that’s the obvious solution. Because I really wonder how much longer they can allow this situation to fester, especially if the locals (who PAY for park access) continue to be loudly upset about this.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Cover Images.