Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to require the Forestry Commission to prepare and publish an environmental impact assessment in respect of the planned development by Forest Holidays in Mortimer Forest, Herefordshire.

Herefordshire Council has already screened the proposal as requiring an environmental statement as part of the process of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Therefore, an environmental statement must be produced to accompany any planning application that follows. In these circumstances the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 provide for the applicant to contest the opinion of the local authority by requesting a screening direction from the Secretary of State.

No request has been made for a screening direction. However, I cannot comment as I must be careful not to prejudice the outcome should a request be received by the Secretary of State.