Stacking the Odds Against Conservation in Deepest SE London?

Gorne Wood is a 3 acre remnant, in Brockley, of London's Great North Wood. Although it needed rescuing from flytippers, drug users and prostitutes, the wood was home to Slow worms, Hedgehogs, Red foxes, Woodpeckers, Sparrowhawks, owls etc. This wood was designated an 'Asset of Community Value', meaning the owner had to spend money clearing up the location. Such designations, however, only last for 5 years. The owner of the woodland was, consequently, on the verge of selling Gorne Wood to property developers. As the local council couldn't afford to buy it, local residents then campaigned to raise the cash. Residents managed to collect more than £100,000, which might be enough to save the location as a public amenity. It's still 'touch and go' (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/28/brockley-residents-raise-100000-to-save-patch-of-ancient-london-woodland). Doing something as positive as saving Gorne Wood really shouldn't be so hard! There are few enough locations where biodiversity can be conserved in UK cities. Councils are all financially very stretched. Not all local communities will have the enthusiasm and fund-raising capabilities of the folk of Brockley. 'Assets of Community Value' should receive longer periods of protection. There should also be positive discrimination in favour of purchase by communities, rather than by developers. Poorer communities would have little chance of saving an amenity.