Plans for new children’s woodland attraction approved

Proposals to create a major children’s woodland attraction in Cheshire that is expected to attract about 300,000 visitors per year have been given the go-ahead.A full planning application to transform a 76.6-acre site to the west of the A49 near Bickley Town into a new leisure destination has been approved by Cheshire West & Chester Council’s planning committee. The BeWILDerwood at Bickley scheme would feature treehouses, outdoor play structures, a lake for boat rides and several accompanying buildings with an overall footprint of 24,219 sq ft.The scheme originally went before the planning committee on Tuesday, 7 March, but members expressed concern that a number of outstanding issues had not been addressed. A proposal to defer consideration to enable further information to be provided was carried by ten votes to zero, with one abstention.Since then, the applicant has provided additional supporting information around areas such as the scheme’s layout, landscaping, environmental issues and transport for staff, and made minor amendments to the proposals. Re-consultation has also been carried out.BeWILDerwood at Bickley would be aimed at children between two and 12 years old and open for a maximum of 260 days per year, between the months of February and October. The development would feature a permanent car park for 500 vehicles as well as overspill parking on a neighbouring field for a further 850 vehicles.It is envisaged that BeWILDerwood at Bickley would create approximately 25 full-time and 155 part-time/seasonal jobs. The economic impact of the development over the first five years is estimated at around £30m.