THE City of London Corporation have said they still want to re-introduce cow grazing to Wanstead Flats but it could take “many years” before it becomes a reality.

The admission, by the group’s Conservation Manager Jeremy Dagley, was made at an area two committee meeting last week.

Mr Dagley told residents that the Corporations was still in the process of consulting far-reaching changes to the forest across London and Essex, and any changes would not be implemented for several years yet.

He added: “We’d like to introduce grazing to Wanstead Flats again, but how we do that we’re not so sure at the moment.

“The last time we did a consultation in the area all the people were saying they wanted it back because the grazing was something which made this part of London unique.”

Cow grazing in Redbridge was stopped in 1996 when the BSE crisis hit Britain.