Hamsterley Forest holiday park plan sparks legal objections
Campaigners have claimed plans for a forest holiday park are missing important documents and have used out-of-date travel information.Forestry England is working with two private firms to build 70 cabins, a campsite and a Go Ape high rope course in Hamsterley Forest, in County Durham.A lawyer for a group campaigning against the park said the plans lacked flood risk and protected species assessments and used travel data from July 2021, when some Covid-19 restrictions were still in place.Forestry England said no major concerns with its documents had been flagged by Durham County Council and it was collecting more information to satisfy public feedback.
In the letter sent on behalf of the Hamsterley Forest Action Group, barrister Nicola Allan said the planning application was "not fit for validation". "The lack of information and inconsistencies taken as a whole are so grave that if the council proceeded to approve this application then it is likely to be quashed on judicial review," she said.She claimed there were "serious inaccuracies" in the transport statement, drawings and travel plan, including failing to mention a road connecting Hamsterley village to the A68 being closed for two years due to subsidence.
Updating the plans
Ms Allan has called for the application to be invalidated or paused until concerns with the plans are fixed.
Forestry England said its transport statement and travel plans had been submitted to Durham Highways, which had accepted them as providing the necessary information.The organisation said submitting additional details during the "iterative" planning process was expected and would allow it to address any questions raised by the public."These consultees have set out what we need to provide to satisfy their requirements, and we are currently collating this information," a spokesperson said.
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