Delamere masterplan

A joint vision for Delamere Forest

Find out about Delamere Forest's new visitor centre, the long term benefits of our partnership with Forestry England and the sustainable approach to building our cabins.

Discover the Delamere masterplan

We are very excited to say that work is now completed on Forestry England's new visitor facilities at Delamere Forest.The area for Forestry England’s new visitor hub has been transformed with the redevelopment of a brand new Visitor Centre and facilities for the 750,000 visitors that use the forest each year. Sustainability was at the forefront of the design for the large eco-friendly timber framed visitor welcome building with rooftop solar panels, a ground source heat pump, infrastructure to enable rainwater harvesting and a sustainable drainage system in the new car park.

The visitor centre now hosts a café with indoor and outdoor seating, event spaces, improved and accessible toilets as well as new access roads and improved parking for 500 cars to enable members of the public to get the very best from their visit to Delamere Forest.The creation of a new cabin location to the north western part of the forest, which gives visitors the opportunity to stay overnight in eco-sensitive cabins, also supports the work of Forestry England and helps them to continue managing the nation’s forests to the highest standards for people, trees and wildlife.

As the Delamere Forest masterplan takes shape, Forestry England explain more about the exciting elements of the scheme and what this will mean for visitors.

Building on strong environmental foundations

Our new location features 66 eco-sensitive cabins designed to allow guests to immerse themselves in nature. Our cabins are built in a unique way with a pioneering design which fits around the forest, using a technique which allows cabins to be carefully assembled between the trees and raised on steel piles. This process protects the forest floor, ensures that nearby trees are unaffected, soil movement is minimalised and rainwater drains into the forest floor naturally.

At Delamere we have further revolutionised the way we create the foundations for our cabins by using new piling technology. A lightweight micro pile system has been used, which mimics a tree root system and is installed with simple portable tools, making it extremely low impact and ecologically sensitive.

Watch our videos to learn more

Our CEO, Bruce McKendrick, explains why taking a sustainable and sensitive approach to building in the forest environment is so important to us.

Watch our videos to learn more

Our CEO, Bruce McKendrick, explains why taking a sustainable and sensitive approach to building in the forest environment is so important to us.

Programme Manager, John Allen, shares the approach and the environmental considerations governing every stage of cabin construction.

A successful partnership supporting Delamere for the long term

Our partnership with Forestry England was born out of their vision to maintain forests as special places for nature, for people to enjoy and for businesses to thrive. Today we are one of hundreds of other businesses that support the forest in practical ways and with investment. Our partnership at Delamere provides valuable income which is reinvested to support all visitors, creating beautiful places for people to enjoy, wildlife to flourish and businesses to thrive.

Discover what the team at Forestry England say about the many benefits we will bring to Delamere Forest...