A new group will meet up to four times a year to discuss Epping Forest issues, it has been announced.

The City of London Corporation (CoL) said it has started talks with Epping Forest District Council to form the new group, which will discuss things such as planning, management issues and the new forest management plan.

Members of the corporation’s Epping Forest committee will meet with council officers and members.

The move follows heavy criticism of planned parking charges and potential forest cycling charges in the future, and proposed changes to the Epping Forest Act in parliament.

A petition saying simply “Keep Epping Forest free of charge foChanr the people” has gained more than 14,000 signatures since starting less than a month ago.

A spokeswoman said: “Epping Forest District Council are the people’s elected representatives in the area.

“It is therefore absolutely right that we meet with them formally throughout the year to discuss issues concerning the forest.

“We hope this will help to reassure people that we take local views and opinions very seriously.

“We already meet regularly with the London Borough of Redbridge and Waltham Forest District council, and this will help to strengthen our relationships and work with the community.”

Petition organiser Paul Morris has called for greater public involvement in how decisions are made about the forest.

“This is a tactic to avoid direct contact with the public in my opinion,” he said.

Claiming the CoL would have to meet regularly with the district council anyway to discuss proposed new powers such as traffic management, Mr Morris also criticised the lack of town or parish council involvement.

“This will lead to district councillors being used as a deflection from direct engagement.

“The recent petition which has reached over 14,000 signatures in a few short weeks has been completely ignored so far… [the] district council would be foolish to put themselves in the position of sharing the burden of responsibility of the unpopular decisions of the City of London.”