Will we stand by and watch the privatisation of our forests? | Simon Jenkins

The Forestry Commission is party to semi-commercial development that could be devastating for our countryside. It should know betterThere is something murky down in the forest. In 2010, the Cameron government was so shocked at the reaction to its planned privatisation of the Forestry Commission that it backed off. It said it had abandoned the whole idea. It lied. It just privatised in secret.Plans have emerged of the commission's proposals for Mortimer Forest outside Ludlow, an exquisite stretch of woodland in the Welsh Marches. A company called Forest Holidays wants to erect an estate of 70 luxury chalets in the forest. It is, in truth, a scattered luxury hotel, serviced by car parks, toilets, recreation areas and "landscaped lookouts". The company already has 10 such estates and plans many more, with up to 90 chalets in each. These are not rural communities or compact villages. Continue reading...