Woodland cabins plan assessed for impact on wildlife
A campaign group fighting a planned woodland holiday cabin scheme on the Shropshire border has welcomed a council move to have the environmental impact of the proposals assessed.
Forest Holidays wants to build 68 cabins on a site in Mortimer Forest, as well as car parking, new public toilets, natural play equipment and a new landscaped viewpoint at High Vinnalls.
The plans met with mixed reaction from nearby residents and nature lovers both sides of the county border, and a petition against them has been signed by over 1,800 people.
Herefordshire Council, which will ultimately decide whether to permit the scheme, has now ordered that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be carried out as part of the planning application process.
The step has been welcomed by campaign group Save Mortimer Forest.
Group spokesman Colin Richards said: "This whole project is really a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It will erode and irretrievably damage the very special character of the forest and its wild inhabitants who have no say in this process.
"It is incredible to see the rising tide of opposition to this project from normal people affronted that such a cherished part of the North Herefordshire and South Shropshire landscape could well be damaged, placing the pursuit of profit above the well-being of wildlife, nature and the existing users of the Forest.
Groundswell
“This is public forest, owned by the nation. It is already clear that there is a groundswell of people who are outraged by the threat of privatisation by the back door, with a private equity majority shareholder, reaping the rewards."
The group has vowed to continue to fight the proposals from all angles, as well as the "wider threat which such developments pose to publicly owned forests around the country".
An EIA is needed for plans which fall under 'schedule two' of the Town and Country Planning (EIA) Regulations 2017 - in this case, a holiday village which exceeds 0.5 hectares - and is deemed "likely to have significant effects on the environment".
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) Shropshire branch has requested Shropshire Council and Ludlow Town Council be included in the consultation process.
Bill Ware, from CPRE Shropshire, said: "The site will be visible to residents and tourists alike, and the additional traffic will have a significant impact on the historic town of Ludlow, a major centre for retail and leisure and the gateway to the Shropshire Hills AONB."
If given the go-ahead, the plans will see the Forestry Commission-owned land handed over in a 125-year lease to Forest Holidays, which will pay the Commission an annual rent of £200,000.
The Forestry Commission claims the project will create 43 full-time equivalent jobs, and estimates another 47 for the local economy as a result of a tourism boost worth £2.4 million per year.
