Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the building of private luxury chalets on Forestry Commission land against its purpose of protecting and expanding England’s public forests and woodland; and if so, what conclusions were reached.

The provision of overnight accommodation on the public forest estate is a long standing activity facilitated by the provisions in the Countryside Act 1968. This includes both the Forest Holidays cabin business and the campsites provided by Camping in the Forest. The Forestry Commissioners regularly discuss these and other businesses operating on the public forest estate and are confident that they promote recreation and enjoyment of the forests as well as generating revenue which is ploughed back into forest management, and are fully compatible with the Commission’s objectives.