Forest lodge holiday park decision deferred

A decision on building a proposed holiday park inside a newly created forest has been postponed.

The development at the Greencroft Estate in Lanchester, County Durham, would include 140 lodges, a spa, pool and shop within woodland called Greencroft Forest Park.

Durham County Council recommended the plans for refusal amid concerns for the landscape, but a planning hearing deferred the decision in order for more surveys.

Applicant True North, working alongside the Forestry Commission, said about 160 jobs would be created during the construction phase, leading to 44 permanent roles, and once approved would generate up to £2.1m for the local economy.

It said the holiday park would bring "high-quality overnight holiday accommodation" to the area.

The Reform UK-led council received 27 letters of objections, raising concerns over flooding, tourism development needs and transport sustainability.

Harry Humble, CEO and founder of True North, said he was "encouraged" by the response from members of the planning committee to the concept of the scheme and the cross-party support received in the debate.

Lanchester Wines, which employs 400 local people, is leading the campaign against the development.

In a statement, it said: "The proposed lodge development is intrinsically linked to an adjacent woodland creation scheme covering 290 hectares (430 football pitches), one of the largest in England since the 1980s.

"The woodland proposal is currently subject to judicial review at the High Court this week, and as part of that process we have commissioned detailed reports on ecology, biodiversity and landscape which, in our view, identify significant and previously overlooked negative impacts across both schemes.

"The committee is therefore being asked to consider a forest park that may not ultimately be supported by the surrounding forest, reinforcing the need for caution in treating this as a standalone application."

David Smith, an independent member of Lanchester Parish Council, said local opinion was "overwhelmingly against" the development and strongly supported the recommendation of the planning officer to refuse the application.

Conservation volunteers Durham County Badger Group also raised objections.

Lesley Johnson said the badger population at Greencroft was "exceptional", most likely as a result of the estate being undisturbed.

In a presentation, she claimed the applicant had "made no effort to protect the badgers on site, seeking to maximise development whilst ignoring protected species legislation".

"We agree with the advice from the county ecologist about the density of the lodges near badger setts... effectively, planning permission cannot be granted until the further advised surveys have been carried out and the impacts on badgers and other protected species have been properly assessed."

Humble said: "We are puzzled by the planning department's approach and insistence that they want further badger survey work to be carried out, after a full and comprehensive badger survey has already been conducted.

"We have also fully committed to a badger mitigation plan, which would be integrated into the programme's detailed designs.

"We hope to resolve these issues as quickly as possible to allow us to deliver the scheme."

The proposed plan is also supported by Visit Durham.

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