An ancient woodland, which more than a quarter of a century ago was under threat of being turned into a Tesco car park, has survived and is being looked after by an enthusiastic band of volunteers.

But the woodland in North Loose near Maidstone has also outlived the residents’ association set up to save it and now the volunteers are without a source of income to pay for its future maintenance.

Mangravat Wood wraps around one corner of Maidstone Cemetery, off Pheasant Lane, and covers just over one hectare.

Back in 1998, Tesco revealed plans to downsize its mid-range store in Tovil to a Tesco Express and to build a much larger 24/7 replacement supermarket on the Loose Road, between the fire station and Boughton Parade.

The plans included a new access road with a mini-roundabout and a car park with 326 spaces, which would have included the ancient woodland, although at that time its value had not been recognised.

Perhaps not surprisingly, residents were up in arms - concerned chiefly at the anticipated extra traffic congestion the store would cause. Tesco itself estimated the store would generate 300 customers per hour.

A petition against the proposal was soon signed by more than 1,000 objectors, and by the year 2000 local people had formed the North Loose Residents’ Association to fight the plans.

The battle rumbled on for six years before Tesco finally gave up.

Much later, the retail giant was granted permission for a Tesco Express in the Loose Road but one that was much smaller and half a mile away, much closer to town.

Members of the North Loose Residents’ Association were jubilant at the victory. The association flourished and effectively took on the role of a parish council for North Loose, defined as the area which fell within South Ward, but which was outside the parish of Tovil.

For more than 20 years, NLRA monitored all planning applications that came in for the area, as well as proactively lobbying KCC for enhancements to the A229.

In 2016, it became the first area in Maidstone to have its own Neighbourhood Development Plan adopted by the borough, beating all the parish councils.

It ran social events and set up a regular drop-in coffee session.

It also acquired Mangravat Wood, which it managed for the good of the local community.

The woods had been given a blanket Tree Protection Order by Maidstone council during the battle with Tesco. Later, in 2012, they were officially classified as Ancient Woodland, giving them a high level of protection against future development.

Housing developer Taylor Wimpey eventually acquired what was to have been the Tesco site, and in 2013 embarked on a housing project that was to become The Farrows.

But Taylor Wimpey had no use for the woodland and on July 25, 2014, sold it to the NLRA for £1.

Since then, the woodland has been greatly improved. Rubbish has been removed, diseased trees felled and paths created.

But after more than 20 years, with the existing committee increasingly ageing, the NLRA found it hard to recruit new committee members.

Eventually, it threw in the towel. It disbanded in May 2024 and handed over its responsibilities to a new Loose Parish Council, enlarged to take in the North Loose district.

What remains is North Loose Limited, the holding company set up by the NLRA to hold the freehold to the woods.

When the NLRA folded, North Loose Ltd inherited all its cash assets - about £27,000.

But without a membership organisation behind it, the company has no source of income.

Volunteers continue to give freely of their own time to maintain the woods but when professional arboricultural work is needed or materials need to be bought, it eats into the diminishing funds.

Sarah Leeson is a director and the company secretary. She said: “The volunteer work parties have continued and made huge progress with clearing brambles ready for a beautiful display of bluebells this spring.

“There have been numerous litter picks, a footpath at the top end of the wood has been rerouted and a fence erected to avoid further damage to the roots of the oak tree.

“The footpath has also had aggregate laid down, which was kindly donated by Gallagher’s, to make it less muddy.

“We also had the help of the Community Payback team to do that work.

“However, we are aware that we have a number of trees that require the attention of a professional and that is unlikely to be cheap.

“We really need to gain some sponsorship from community-minded businesses like Gallagher’s.

“If anyone is aware of any grants that we might be eligible for, it would be much appreciated if you could let us know.

“We want to ensure that Mangravet Wood continues to be an enjoyable area for walking, listening to the birds and spotting wildflowers.”

You can contact Mrs Leeson at sarahleeson.nll@gmail.com