Delamere Forest

Our track-record for creating sustainable space for people to enjoy has been further enhanced by a £9m contract to improve one of the most popular forests in England.

The company was appointed by Forestry England to create a new wooden-framed visitor welcome hub at Delamere Forest in Cheshire, which each year welcomes over 750,000 visitors to run, walk, bike, horse ride, listen to live music or take part in a sports event.

Completed in the Summer of 2020, the project improves the visitor experience with a new café featuring upgraded facilities including more indoor and outdoor seating, along with key accessibility improvements and a new car park with extra capacity and enhanced vehicle access to cater for busy days and popular events, like Forest Live concerts.

Sustainability was a key element with solar panels, a ground source heat pump, a sustainable drainage design and rainwater harvesting all incorporated.

As part of the project, Forestry England’s long-term partner, Forest Holidays, has also started to create a new cabin location so people will have the opportunity to stay overnight in a cabin in the heart of Delamere Forest.

Paddy Harrop, Forest Management Director for Central District including Delamere:

“The new visitor hub is the most significant investment for Forestry England this year and shows how important Delamere Forest is as a visitor destination. It’s an important green space for people living in nearby cities and towns to come and enjoy and these new facilities will really improve their experience. Forest Holidays’ cabins will allow visitors to experience Delamere in a new way and their investment will help to support the project.”

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the North, said:

“We’re very proud to play our part in delivering such as important project and help to transform one of the North West’s most iconic outdoor spaces, that have never been more important for our community’s health and well-being especially in these challenging times.

“It is thanks to the strength of the relationships and collaboration between our team, Forestry England and all our local design and supply chain partners that we have overcome the unprecedented challenges of the last few months, completed the project, and, most importantly, kept everyone safe on site.”