Woman's upset at Forestry England Hamsterley Forest plans

Leonie McWatson believes she could be surrounded by traffic, pedestrians and holidaymakers should plans to change Hamsterley Forest, which she calls home, into more of a tourist destination.

Plans worth £32.6m by Forestry England to build 70 cabins, a GoApe adventure centre, a campsite and more are to be considered by Durham County Council.

Leonie says the development could transform the forest, and the area around her home forever.

Leonie McWatson, 53. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) The 53-year-old says she "fell in love" when she moved to the heart of the forest near Bishop Auckland in late 2022.

After renting for a year, Leonie and her husband, who are both former forces personnel, bought a home at The Grove -  a small collection of cottages that sit along Euden Beck.

Now, sketches of just some of the plans show that a bunkhouse, pod field, safari tent field, and seasonal camping field would be built along the road a matter of minutes away from Leonie's home.

Speaking to The Northern Echo, Leonie said that she is against the plans and will be lodging an objection in the near future.

The planned area for the campsite. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) She said: "We fell in love with the place as soon as we saw it - it's so peaceful and there's only four houses down here.

"But you don't feel totally isolated because there are enough people that walk their dogs and ride horses. They always stop and chat to you in the garden.

"We have finally put down roots here because of the scenery and its surroundings which is why we were so upset to hear about the news to basically turn our row of houses into a roundabout.

"We will almost be surrounded by traffic and pedestrians."

Proposals first emerged to transform the forest in 2021 - but Leonie says that she wasn't aware of those suggestions - which could have changed her decision to move there.

Part of the planned area for the campsite. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) She added: "We knew nothing about (the plans) until a few months ago when everyone was talking about the holiday cabins and GoApe. 

"There was no mention of the campsite and it wasn't until I was told by the action group. When we moved in we also had no idea - and if we were it would have changed what we were looking for in a house."

Leonie's main concerns now include traffic, access to the campsite, accessibility of the road and cars moving along during all hours of the day and night.

Should the plans be approved, Leonie said she would consider moving away.

"We've got our own group going, myself and my neighbours - and we report back to the main Hamsterley Forest group," she said.

The area for the planned campsite. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) "Everyone who lives at The Grove is totally against it. People who come and visit the forest may be for it but if it was built in their backyard they would have a different opinion on the matter.

"It is just beyond belief that they are even considering this - surely there is somewhere else that would be more suitable for a development like this?

"In terms of moving away - I would have to see if the impact would be as big as I am expecting it to be. Any more cars would detract from the peace and tranquillity here. 

"If that ends up being the case I would want to sell up and move."