DARLEY DALE TOWN COUNCIL OBJECTS TO FARLEY MOOR HOLIDAY CABIN PROPOSAL
Forest Holidays, in partnership with Forestry England, applied to build 75 luxury holiday cabins with hot tubs, a car park for 249 vehicles, a shop, café, roads and other facilities across approximately 140 acres of Farley Moor woodland near Matlock – a cherished public green space enjoyed by local residents for walking, wildlife watching and quiet recreation.
Darley Dale Town Council strongly objected to this proposal on multiple grounds, including serious concerns about damage to irreplaceable peatland and wildlife habitats, road safety on narrow unlit lanes, increased flood risk to Matlock town centre, and the unnecessary duplication of holiday accommodation already well provided by nearby Darwin Forest.
WHY WE OBJECTED
Darley Dale Town Council’s Planning Committee has examined this application carefully and believed it conflicted with both local and national planning policies. Our detailed objections and policy breaches document is here. Our key concerns were:
- Wildlife and habitat damage – the site contains fragile peatland, wetlands and rare species. Felling over 1,300 trees and draining the land for construction would cause irreversible ecological harm that cannot genuinely be offset by the applicant’s Biodiversity Net Gain claims. Each cabin has a hot tub which will drain to the forest floor.
- Road safety – Farley Lane is narrow, unlit, has no pavements and is subject to flooding and ice. Hundreds of additional vehicle movements daily from up to 65,000 visitors per year would create unacceptable dangers for pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and existing residents. The County Council Highways have approved the proposal with a few conditions, one of which , in the Town Council’s view astonishingly, (condition 5) is to provide a pedestrian access from Farley Wood to Matlock. This effectively proposes a disabled wheelchair and child pushchair suitable, hard landscaped and street-lit footpath from Matlock to Farley Wood – it has to be suitable for all pedestrian users. The Highways conditions and our reply are merged and available to read here.
- Flood risk – Farley Moor drains steeply into Bentley Brook and then into the River Derwent in Matlock town centre, which already suffers from an overloaded sewer network. New hard surfaces and drainage from the development risk making flooding in Matlock significantly worse.
- No demonstrated need – Darwin Forest Country Park, just one mile away, already offers 137 comparable luxury lodges. There is no proven need for another large holiday park so close, and the proposal risks harming an established local business that employs over 200 people.
- Heritage – BBC’s Time Team recently confirmed the presence of a 3,700-year-old Bronze Age ceremonial site including a standing stone within Farley Wood. The development risks damaging this irreplaceable piece of our local history.
- Loss of public access – Farley Moor is a public woodland managed for everyone’s benefit. This commercial development would restrict access and prioritise private profit over the open green space local people rely on.