The answer to your headline (Is Wanstead the new Woodstock, Your Local Guardian, October 11) is a firm 'no'. Fortunately Verderer Dr Joanna Thomas had the good sense to say that 'We will get grief' and that Kris Sangani feared for the future of the skylarks and meadow pipits. This is forest land and in 1874 Sir George Jessel, a judge ruled that Epping Forest should 'never be enclosed'. Now it is the residents of Jessel Green who are having to fight to retain their green space and also the residents of Woodford Green through saveourgreen@btinternet.com who are fighting to prevent any development on The Green at Woodford. It seems that local groups of residents now have to fight to protect their green spaces which are so necessary for good physical and mental well-being. As for two months of being fenced in, surely against the Epping Forest Act 1878?

Epping Forest and the Commons Committee of the City of London acts as a guardian of our fine and ancient Epping Forest and should think carefully about such money-spinning projects, So much damage would be done to forest land by hordes descending upon it and damaging wildlife that is impossible to replace. If funds are needed there are surely other venues which can be hired for a pop festival but please not on forest land. We, the public rely on you, the Epping Forest and Commons Committee to protect our green spaces for future generations. I sometimes think that there are now too many desk-bound executives who dream up such schemes and that the forest was better run years ago when there were more hands-on forest keepers. Knighton Woods used to be pristine, thanks to the hands-on keeper who rode around on his horse! It is probably someone who lives out of the area who thinks that 'it may appeal to residents' etc. Will locals be consulted? I do hope that Redbridge Borough Council's licensing committee would throw out any application for a Licence.

Sheila C Matheson

Dale Gardens, Woodford Green