The mystery purchaser of Old Park Woods in Caterham has been revealed as Caterham School. The woods, situated at Viewpoint in Gravelly Hill were put up for sale in the summer and local residents were concerned that the woods would be sold for timber foresting. The War Coppice Residents Association started a campaign to raise the cash to purchase the woods for the local community but soon afterwards the agents, John Clegg & Co, found a purchaser but were not able to reveal the identity of the new owners.

Yesterday, David Charlesworth of Caterham School issued the following statement on the Old Park Woods Facebook page:

"On behalf of the Trustees of Caterham School I would like to make the following statement:

"We are pleased to be able to tell you that our offer to purchase Old Park Woods (both Lot 1 and Lot 2) has been accepted by the vendors subject to contract. Although we are not able to make any formal commitments until all the legal work is done we can tell you about our current intentions.

We would like local residents to be able to access the woods in much the same way that they do now. However we have a duty of care for the students at the school and we will need to make the woods safer by clearing any dangerous trees, some leftover from the storm of 1987, levelling some uneven ground and securing the boundaries against unwanted intruders. As a charitable foundation we also have to ensure that the school is gaining proper benefit from this substantial investment but we look forward to discussing with local residents how we can best accommodate their access to the woods in the future after the school has completed the purchase."

To view the Old Park Woods Facebook page go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/145883055603652/