‘The Lunch’ woodland, with the cattle brook running through it, and the lakes are a special place within the parish. The name, ‘The Lunch’ appears to come from the name of the area around the cattle brook (known as Holbrook in the first part of the nineteenth century) and latterly became the name for the plantation wood at Woodcote, with the woodland near the lakes being Lower Lunch.
The land is part of the Woodcote estate and has been in the custodianship of Warwickshire Police for nearly 80 years. The maintenance of such an estate has not been a priority for the Police and consequently the land and trees are in a dilapidated state.
Part of the CALA planning application to build on the paddock at Police HQ included offsetting of greenspace and it was proposed that CALA would take a lease on part of The Lunch, behind Waller Close, creating an access route to the recreation ground – the proposal included fencing part of the woodland. The Parish Council is sceptical about the future success of such a scheme, asking what the management plan would be? What financial and legal responsibilities would need to be shouldered by any management organisation? Who would pay for it? The PC opened discussions with the District Council and a landscape consultancy firm they have worked with and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust to share initial thoughts about whether a viable proposal could be put to the Police to better share responsibility and access to the land, improving and opening it to the public.
Following a community meeting in November 2025, members of the community are forming a working party to consider the questions raised.
Below are posts about the project:
'The Lunch' Questionnaire
Dear Neighbours.
The Parish Council has asked members of the community to lead on a project to develop a plan for the protection and future development of The Lunch (Woodland) at the rear of Waller Close and, possibly, the entire woodland and lakes area on the Police HQ site. It is hoped that if a suitable plan can be put together then the owners and other parties will back the community in putting this plan into action.
The Questionnaire is to raise community awareness and to get feedback, so that a community vision can be formed.
It is important to understand that what we are looking for, is what YOU would like the lunch to be. Please put aside any thoughts of budget, finance, what we might be allowed to do and who owns what. This all comes later.
Currently The Lunches are in a pretty poor state. Many of the trees are in need of urgent attention, some have already fallen in recent years and more will fall in the coming years. Care has been at best reactionary. That said there are some very important trees, it is home to deer, badger, many many bird species and a carpet of native bluebells, lesser celandine, and wood anemones, to name but a few. A truly valuable place.
At a recent community meeting two proposals were tabled. The first was from Plinke, a landscape design company, and the second from Wild Warwickshire in 2008. I have attached both for you to look at.
The Plincke proposal outlines a vision to create a masterplan for The Lunch. The proposal suggests three design options—Minor Tweaks, Focused Enhancements, and Wider Integration—to improve the public space's character, quality, ecological value, and connectivity with the surrounding area.
The "Conservation The Lunch" proposal, prepared by Wild Warwickshire in 2008, outlines a plan to designate the whole of the 11.5 ha site as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) to protect its District Value Eco-site status and County Biodiversity Priority Action Habitats. The management objectives focus on enhancing wildlife habitats, removing invasive and non-native species, and creating a public recreation site with controlled access via permissive paths to protect sensitive areas.
The meeting seemed to indicate that the Plinke proposal was one end of the development scale and that Wild Warwickshire proposal was at the other. This questionnaire is to ascertain which best reflects the community's wishes.
Please fill out the form according to how you would wish to use this area and how you would like others to do so.
A second meeting will be called late January or early February, date TBC and the findings will then be made public. Please join us there and please let us know if you would like to help or become part of a steering group.
If you would like to be updated be sure to add your name and email address.
Please feel free to forward the link onto anyone that lives in the village and would have an interest.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Click link below