Plans for timber holiday cabins in woodland

Forest Holidays wants to build 75 timber cabins in woodland near Matlock

Plans to build a holiday park with timber cabins in Derbyshire will "enhance" surrounding woodland, the developer has said.

Forest Holidays - the commercial arm of Forestry England - want to construct 75 cabins in 140 acres of woodland at Farley Moor, near Matlock, as part of a £23m investment.

Derbyshire Dales District Council is expected to make a decision on the application later this year.

Andrew Brook, from Forest Holidays, told the BBC: "[A portion] of money generated from something like this goes back into woodland management."

The holiday cabins would be situated in Farley Moor - two miles north of Matlock

The development would use a third of the 440-acre Farley Moor, which is managed by Forestry England, the applicant said.

The site will accommodate 185 people in nine one-bed cabins, 35 two-bed cabins, 22 three-bed cabins, five four-bed cabins and four five-bed treehouse cabins.

The scheme would include a shop, cafe and outdoor play area – including archery range – as well as a 249 parking spaces, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Documents show the development would create 48 new jobs - rising to 57 within three years.

Forest Holidays already runs 13 sites

Mr Brook said: "Applications like this bring a significant booster to the local economy - not only with guest spend but with jobs on site.

"The proposals will be sensitive in nature with its construction but it also brings a number of benefits to enhance the woodland.

"At the moment it's a bit of a monoculture with dense conifer-type woodland and this application would also have a management plan which brings in a more diverse forest canopy."

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