New National Forest - Oxford-Cambridge Corridor
The Oxford-Cambridge Corridor is set to benefit from being the location of England’s second new national forest. This forest will be transformative, providing significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. Defra is now inviting organisations outside of central government or its ALBs to submit an Expression of Interest to enable us to assess the options for delivery in the region.
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Contents
Summary
Background
The Oxford-Cambridge Corridor is set to benefit from being the location of England’s second new national forest. This forest will be transformative, providing significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. Defra is now inviting organisations outside of central government or its ALBs to submit an Expression of Interest to enable us to assess the options for delivery in the region.
Summary
Government has made a manifesto commitment for three new national forests (NNFs) to be delivered in England by the end of Parliament. The first of these NNFs – the Western Forest – is in South-West England. The second new national forest will be in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor (OxCam).
OxCam has been selected because it is unique in having already been identified by the government as an area of strategic importance, targeted for significant growth and development. This opportunity will showcase how creating a richer natural environment can work hand-in-hand with economic development and deliver benefits for communities within the corridor.
Defra has identified the following outcomes that the new national forest will deliver:
Transformative change: demonstrating how trees and woodlands can transform a landscape, with positive benefits for wildlife, local communities and business.
Landscape-scale delivery: delivered across a defined landscape (or landscapes) to create a sense of place and demonstrate the impact of tree planting in the long term.
Biodiversity recovery: drive significant increases in the cover of wildlife habitats and promote the good management of existing habitats, contributing to targets set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 (EIP).
Growth potential: harness growth through the planning system to support the creation and integration of forest habitats within new development, and to fund wider improvements to green and blue infrastructure within the forest. The forest will also develop and test models of leveraging private investment into its delivery for people and nature.
Social benefits: improve the health, wellbeing and skills of a significant population, particularly areas experiencing health and social deprivation.
National purpose: contribute to national priorities in their rationale for transformation that can be repeated elsewhere, influence policy, or impact society (e.g., economic regeneration, landscape restoration, new towns).
Project Governance
The National Forest Company (NFC) will act as the grant manager and strategic lead for the project on behalf of Defra, which acts as the grant sponsor. The successful applicant will serve as the delivery partner and be actively managed by the NFC.
Project Timings
The project has confirmed funding from Defra between 2026/2027 and 2029/2030. Any delivery partner will be expected to continue operation of the NNF beyond this term on a long-term basis.
Funding
There is no funding available to applicants for the drafting and preparation of an Expression of Interest.
Details on the total funding available for the project are not available at this point as they are currently subject to internal Defra approvals.
Eligibility
Applicants for this Expression of Interest must demonstrate that they have the capacity, experience, capability and knowledge to deliver the outcomes of the new national forest in OxCam.
The eligibility criteria for suitable organisations are:
Evidence of organisational status: Applicants, whether applying individually or as part of a wider consortium, must be a registered public, charitable or private organisation.
Leadership, advocacy and strategy: Have skills and expertise in leadership and strategy for major programmes of similar complexity, including organisational resilience, scale and track record.
Experience of successful woodland creation projects at scale: Have demonstrable experience of successfully delivering public benefit through woodland creation at a landscape scale, including the administration of grant schemes, support to partners, and detailed reporting.
Partner and community engagement experience: Have demonstrable knowledge of and active engagement with senior partners and communities in OxCam. This will include having credibility, trust and networks with key partners, politicians and institutions to support delivery, convene groups and communicate ambitions.
Planning and private finance experience: Have a proven understanding of and track record in engagement with the planning system and private finance sectors to secure significant funding and delivery of tree planting and establishment schemes.
Financial solvency evidence: Proven long-term financial solvency, with a demonstrable net income surplus for the last three financial years and the ability to manage cash flows.
Objectives
The chosen delivery partners will be expected to collaborate with the National Forest Company and Defra to develop plans for a new national forest that will have:
Governance: To identify a suitable governance and partnership model for delivery involving appropriate organisations, political and community support.
Appropriate scale: To select a delivery area of 200–600 square miles (c.50k–150k hectares). This is considered small enough to align with an existing geography and also demonstrate the impact of tree planting. It is also large enough to be transformative and have an impact on tree planting (and other national) targets in the long term.
Transformative potential: To map and evidence suitability for tree planting. The NNF should have current tree cover lower than EIP targets and demonstrate that they contain sufficient suitable land for afforestation to be able to reach high enough total cover (>30%) to justify being called a forest.
Growth potential: To ensure alignment with local growth that can benefit from and contribute to woodland creation, where planning policies can be tailored to deliver forest creation alongside growth.
Social benefits: To identify opportunities to improve the lives of a significant population within and immediately outside its boundary. In particular, to demonstrate the presence of communities who will particularly benefit from a new national forest through access to nature, recreation, education, job creation and volunteering.
National purpose: To develop the narrative and act as an exemplar for how growth and environmental improvement can be integrated on a landscape-scale. The NNF will make significant contributions to national targets (e.g. EIP) and will demonstrate a national purpose in its function, providing models for innovation that can be repeated elsewhere in the country and beyond.
Delivery programme: To develop, agree and deliver a programme for the forest including use of funding, targets, monitoring and impact.
Dates
This Expression of Interest runs from 12 January 2026 to 30 January 2026. Defra and the National Forest Company will conduct a sift of applicant suitability during the week commencing 9 February 2026. Applicants will receive a response in February 2026.
How to Apply
You will be required to complete an Expression of Interest detailing how your organisation meets all eligibility criteria. Your application must contain the following headings:
Evidence of organisational status
Leadership, advocacy and strategy
Experience of successful woodland creation projects at scale
Partner and community engagement experience
Planning and private finance experience
Financial solvency evidence
The maximum size of this document is four pages and should be submitted in PDF format. Please do not submit annexes. You may link to documents hosted on your website, Companies House, or the Charity Commission for the provision of evidence.
Please return your Expression of Interest application via email to: joanne.parkin@defra.gov.uk (cc'ing catherine.hacker@defra.gov.uk) and ensuring 'New National Forest - EOI Application' is entered in to the subject heading of the email.
Supporting Information
Government announcement of the Western Forest (the first new national forest) can be found here: Government to plant first National Forest in 30 years - GOV.UK
Government announcement of the new national forest in OxCam can be found here: Nation to benefit from two new national forests backed by £1 billion investment in tree planting - GOV.UK
Eligibility
Eligibility
Applicants for this Expression of Interest must demonstrate that they have the capacity, experience, capability and knowledge to deliver the outcomes of the new national forest in OxCam.
The eligibility criteria for suitable organisations are:
Evidence of organisational status: Applicants, whether applying individually or as part of a wider consortium, must be a registered public, charitable or private organisation.
Leadership, advocacy and strategy: Have skills and expertise in leadership and strategy for major programmes of similar complexity, including organisational resilience, scale and track record.
Experience of successful woodland creation projects at scale: Have demonstrable experience of successfully delivering public benefit through woodland creation at a landscape scale, including the administration of grant schemes, support to partners, and detailed reporting.
Partner and community engagement experience: Have demonstrable knowledge of and active engagement with senior partners and communities in OxCam. This will include having credibility, trust and networks with key partners, politicians and institutions to support delivery, convene groups and communicate ambitions.
Planning and private finance experience: Have a proven understanding of and track record in engagement with the planning system and private finance sectors to secure significant funding and delivery of tree planting and establishment schemes.
Financial solvency evidence: Proven long-term financial solvency, with a demonstrable net income surplus for the last three financial years and the ability to manage cash flows.
Objectives
Objectives
The chosen delivery partners will be expected to collaborate with the National Forest Company and Defra to develop plans for a new national forest that will have:
Governance: To identify a suitable governance and partnership model for delivery involving appropriate organisations, political and community support.
Appropriate scale: To select a delivery area of 200–600 square miles (c.50k–150k hectares). This is considered small enough to align with an existing geography and also demonstrate the impact of tree planting. It is also large enough to be transformative and have an impact on tree planting (and other national) targets in the long term.
Transformative potential: To map and evidence suitability for tree planting. The NNF should have current tree cover lower than EIP targets and demonstrate that they contain sufficient suitable land for afforestation to be able to reach high enough total cover (>30%) to justify being called a forest.
Growth potential: To ensure alignment with local growth that can benefit from and contribute to woodland creation, where planning policies can be tailored to deliver forest creation alongside growth.
Social benefits: To identify opportunities to improve the lives of a significant population within and immediately outside its boundary. In particular, to demonstrate the presence of communities who will particularly benefit from a new national forest through access to nature, recreation, education, job creation and volunteering.
National purpose: To develop the narrative and act as an exemplar for how growth and environmental improvement can be integrated on a landscape-scale. The NNF will make significant contributions to national targets (e.g. EIP) and will demonstrate a national purpose in its function, providing models for innovation that can be repeated elsewhere in the country and beyond.
Delivery programme: To develop, agree and deliver a programme for the forest including use of funding, targets, monitoring and impact.
Dates
Dates
This Expression of Interest runs from 12 January 2026 to 30 January 2026. Defra and the National Forest Company will conduct a sift of applicant suitability during the week commencing 9 February 2026. Applicants will receive a response in February 2026.
How to apply
How to Apply
You will be required to complete an Expression of Interest detailing how your organisation meets all eligibility criteria. Your application must contain the following headings:
Evidence of organisational status
Leadership, advocacy and strategy
Experience of successful woodland creation projects at scale
Partner and community engagement experience
Planning and private finance experience
Financial solvency evidence
The maximum size of this document is four pages and should be submitted in PDF format. Please do not submit annexes. You may link to documents hosted on your website, Companies House, or the Charity Commission for the provision of evidence.
Please return your Expression of Interest application via email to: joanne.parkin@defra.gov.uk (cc'ing catherine.hacker@defra.gov.uk) and ensuring 'New National Forest - EOI Application' is entered in to the subject heading of the email.
Supporting information
Supporting Information
Government announcement of the Western Forest (the first new national forest) can be found here: Government to plant first National Forest in 30 years - GOV.UK
Government announcement of the new national forest in OxCam can be found here: Nation to benefit from two new national forests backed by £1 billion investment in tree planting - GOV.UK