Campaigners have submitted an on-going petition with over 2,800 names to a Derbyshire council in opposition to plans for a woodland holiday park that they fear will result in a loss of trees and wildlife and an increase in traffic problems.
Save Farley Moor campaign members Kitty Kenyon and Sarah Benson presented the petition with 2,852 names to Derbyshire Dales District Cllr Martin Burfoot, at the council headquarters in opposition to Forest Holidays’ planning application to build 75 cabins in 140 acres of woodland at Farley Moor, off Farley Lane, near Matlock.
Many residents and campaigners have raised objections including concerns about potential noise and light pollution, increased traffic congestion, road safety, access, loss of trees, the disturbance of land releasing peat into the atmosphere, flooding and surface run-off water from the scheme, and the over-saturation of the area’s holiday market.
Ms Kenyon said: “We have put more pressure on Forest Holidays to provide essential data on key issues such as drainage and flood risk, for example, as well as flagging all of these issues to the [council] planning committee.”
Plans for the scheme include nine one-bed cabins, 35 two-bed cabins, 22 three-bed cabins, five four-bed cabins and four five-bed treehouse cabins to accommodate 185 people, a car park, reception, shop, cafe, maintenance building and outdoor play area, a ranger station, storage pods, recycling points, ancillary roads, paths, and an archery range.
Campaigners have also expressed concerns for the wildlife after claiming Farley Woods is inhabited by roe deer, hedgehogs, sparrowhawks, breeding birds and many other animals.
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has stated the development would be expected to see the loss of 4.4hectares of coniferous forest, 0.13 hectares of lowland mixed deciduous woodland, 0.01hectares of other woodland, 0.03hectares of modified grassland and 0.04hectares of other lowland acid grassland.
However, the applicant intends to implement a habitat and creation and enhancement scheme to address losses with a 47.2hectare conversion of the existing coniferous woodland over more than 30 years with the enhancement of 1.07hectares of lowland mixed deciduous woodland creating a small area of grassland.
But DWT claims this would still fall short of the required 10per cent biodiversity net gain required with developments and it has requested should the scheme go ahead further enhancements would be necessary at nearby Sitches Plantation to achieve a potential total net gain of 13.33per cent.
DWT has also raised concerns for breeding birds and for badgers’ setts at Farley Moor and a licence may be needed from Natural England should a sett need to be closed, and DWT fears the storage of the scheme’s foul water poses a risk to habitats due to the potential for spills and leakage.
A DWT spokesperson stated: “The development will increase human presence within the wood with an estimated 379 people when full.
“This will inevitably increase the level of recreational disturbance to wildlife in an area where many of the key species are especially sensitive to disturbance.”
Campaigners also claim a study has stated that commercial deforestation on this scale is going to decrease water absorption by trees and increase run-off from Matlock Moor which has already happened with the flooding of Farley Lane when the Black Brook regularly overflows.
The Council for the Protection of Rural England has also objected to the scheme claiming there is insufficient infrastructure to cope with the plans and it is concerned how additional tourism may affect the area.
And the Clean Rivers Trust has also objected due to concerns about a feared threat of harm from the proposed development to others’ water supply and Darley Dale Town Council has objected with concerns about light pollution, highways and the impact on the environment and limited infrastructure.
However, Matlock Town Council, Natural England and Derbyshire County Council’s Highways department have raised no objections.
Forest Holidays has also stated money from the scheme will go into woodland management and it will create new jobs and be sensitive to the environment with a management plan for a more diverse forest canopy.
Land manager Forestry England – which operates as the landlord to Forest Holidays – has also been advised the development will have no adverse effect upon the highway and no safety concerns are expected, and further proposed improvements include enhancements to the access point off Farley Lane.
It has also previously claimed the proposals are designed to deliver ‘biodiversity net gain’ and there will be ‘no adverse impact or loss of habitat’ and lighting will be carefully considered.
Forestry England has stated that although plans include the removal of approximately 10per cent of trees, it has argued ‘additional tree removal’ will be needed for normal thinning and to minimise blight infection.
It claims there will also be an enhancement to change the woodland at Farley Moor from coniferous pine to a more continuous cover, native woodland.
But campaigners claim Forest Holidays aims to build a massive £30m complex of lodges, roads, and service buildings and they fear the proposed scheme will involve the felling of over 1,300 trees and the sectioning-off of large areas of public space.
Ms Kenyon, who confirmed Save Farley Moor’s petition currently stands at 2852 signatures, said: “We will continue to collect signatures over the coming months.
“We still come across dog walkers who haven’t heard of the development plans, so raising awareness is key.”
A planning committee at Derbyshire Dales District Council, in Matlock, is expected to consider Forest Holidays’ planning application during the spring, according to Save Farley Moor campaigners.
