Tourism drive is next step for Mortimer Forest after cabins plan withdrawn
Ludlow's Mortimer Forest needs to be pushed as a tourist destination, now it has been saved from a 'theme park'" holiday cabins plan, it has been said.
The controversial proposals by the Forestry Commission and Forest Holidays would have seen what campaigners called a 'hugely destructive' development built in publicly-owned Mortimer Forest.
When the scheme was first unveiled earlier this year it was met with an onslaught of opposition and led to the formation of the Save Mortimer Forest campaign group, while a petition urging Herefordshire Council to reject the application was signed by almost 5,000 people.
But an application never came – and Forest Holidays has revealed one would not be put forward.
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The news was today welcomed by Shropshire Councillor Andy Boddington, who represents Ludlow North.
He said the next step should be focusing on helping Ludlow thrive. It is already a popular place for walkers, picnickers and off-road vehicle enthusiasts.
"I hope that the energy behind the protests can now be channelled into helping the Mortimer Forest thrive," he added.
"We need to continue to promote the Ludlow area as a tourist destination. But this must not be at the expense of the incredible landscape that attracts visitors in the first place.
Challenging
"In our times, people move around more. They visit more places. We need to think how best to manage that in the Ludlow area and the Mortimer Forest.
"We need to think about how to manage tourism in the Mortimer Forest in the longer term."
A spokesman for Forest Holidays said during research some 'challenging practical issues' were encountered.
Councillor Boddington added: "The idea of creating limited tourist accommodation in the Mortimer Forest is not bad in principle. But it needs to be at a scale that works with the forest and is in keeping with a remote rural spot."
The plans would have seen the land handed over in a 125-year lease to Forest Holidays, earning the Forestry Commission an annual rent of £200,000.
As well as the 68 cabins, the plans included car parking, play equipment, toilets and a new landscaped viewpoint at High Vinnalls.
The commission claimed the project would create 43 full-time equivalent jobs, plus another 47 for the local economy as a result of a predicted tourism boost of £2.4 million per year.
John Lloyd, from the South Shropshire Green Party, added: "The Green Party supported the Mortimer Forest campaigners during the campaign and very much values and applauds the sterling efforts of communities that make a stand.
"The moral of this successful campaign to save Mortimer Forest is to come together as a community and move as a community to defend what you regard is in the interest of the community as a whole."
The Mortimer Forest campaign also brought fresh criticism of the relationship between the Forestry Commission and the now majority-privately owned Forest Holidays, with a petition calling for a government review of the arrangement garnering 127,000 signatures.
A Defra review was announced in July after Ludlow MP Philip Dunne raised the issue in the Commons.
