Sales of 15 per cent of England’s publicly-owned forests are to be put on hold while the criteria for selling them off are re-examined, according to the British government.

The move follows widespread criticism of proposals by ministers to offload the remaining 85 per cent of England’s public forest estate to timber companies, charities and local communities.

The proposed sales of 15 per cent of the forests announced in last year’s spending review will not go ahead until a review aimed at “significantly” strengthening the protections given to the woodlands is completed, Environment Secretary Caroline Spleman said.

The sale of 15 per cent of the forest estate – the maximum the government can sell under current legislation – is aimed to raise £100 million towards the Environment Department’s budget.But Ms Spelman said the government was committed to increasing protection for access and public benefit in public woodlands, and that the “inadequate measures” applied to sales under the previous Administration would be reviewed.

She said the review would not affect the commitment to sell 15 per cent of the forest estate over the next four years, and had no impact on the continuing consultation into the remaining 85 per cent of the public forests. The government’s consultation, which provoked a storm of protest when it was published last month, outlines plans to offload England’s 258,000-hectare public forest estate, currently managed by the Forestry Commission, over the next 10 years.