Woods are owned by tycoon

Tuesday 27th March 2007, 5:00AM BST.

A large Shropshire woodland is part of a huge property portfolio owned by the supermarket magnate Lord Sainsbury, who has nurtured the area over three decades, it has emerged.

Lord Sainsbury, pictured, owns Sowdley Wood, near Clun, which is kept for conservation purposes, with public rights of way across it.

Today Councillor Colin Pendry, who represents Clun, said Sowdley Wood was a popular, picturesque spot.

He said: “Lord Sainsbury has owned it for quite some time. It is the wood that stretches from The Hurst to Clunton Coppice.

“It is a very beautiful area and is popular with walkers and other countryside enthusiasts. Apparently, the woods have a very interesting history.”

Lord Sainsbury’s ownership of the wood was made public as part of a disclosure in the House of Lords of his assets and interests. His family has a £1.6 billion fortune and he owns 11 houses, two woods and a vineyard.

The property empire includes an oceanside condominium in California, four houses in Westminster, a 600-acre forest on the Isle of Skye and a country estate in Buckinghamshire. He also owns shares in Sainsbury’s worth £714 million.

A spokesman for Lord Sainsbury said he had owned Sowdley Wood for about three decades. The spokesman said: “The Shropshire woodland is an ancient and very beautiful mixed woodland.”

View more: South Shropshire news.