Mott MacDonald appointed to national Forestry England Planning Services Framework

Mott MacDonald has been appointed to all eight geographic Lots of the new Planning Services Framework by Forestry England.

England’s largest land manager and largest supplier of sustainably sourced timber, Forestry England manages 1,500 woods and forests over 620,000 acres, on which it has developed more than 1,800 miles of walking, running and cycling trails.

The consultancy will provide a range of planning services across England, including working in national parks, World Heritage sites, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Special Areas of Conservation on a variety of current and future development opportunities and Forestry England will have access to Mott MacDonald’s diverse range of planning and environmental services.

Edward Cheng, Mott MacDonald’s framework manager said: “Mott MacDonald has a great track-record of providing services to the Forestry Commission. The key to our successful service is a desire to deliver schemes with enhanced social outcomes, focusing on community benefits and environmental enhancement in some of the most sensitive landscapes across England. We are looking forward to working closely with Forestry England to help deliver future projects.”

Graham Dawson, Programme Manager North Forest District, Forestry England said: “We have several exciting projects in our pipeline across England including the implementation of renewable technology, new visitor facilities and habitat restoration. With the help and expertise of Mott McDonald and other partners, we look forward to making these projects a reality.”

The framework will run for a period of four years, until the end of June 2026.

The firm recently helped secure permanent filming rights at Forestry England’s Bourne Woods. A vital site for the UK film industry for over two decades, Bourne Woods has been the stage for a number of iconic productions including Gladiator, Harry Potter, and Wonder Woman.

“Being such an important filming location has brought economic benefits to the community,” said Jonathan Douglas-Green, urban and town planning practice lead at Mott MacDonald.

“The woods are also a well-loved recreational area for local people and feature important ecological assets. Our aim is to preserve and even improve the ecology, and make sure local people can continue to enjoy the woods during filming.”

Mott MacDonald developed an innovative digital environmental management plan, which allowed the team to set out the necessary requirements to address the impacts of all types of production filming – from a one-day photo shoot to a month-long blockbuster.

“The plan gives us the tools to protect and improve the natural capital of the woodland, while also making sure that filming does not impact residents who live nearby,” said Jeremy Randall, Mott MacDonald’s environmental lead for the planning application. “So, for example, the plan sets out buffer zones to limit noise pollution, and also provides details on avoiding the disturbance of roosting bats.”

“When it comes to environmental protection, this is about going above and beyond, and it’s been fantastic working with Forestry England who share many of our ways of thinking. As a result, the plan sets out responsibilities for things like the removal of invasive species and the creation of new animal habitat.”

Mott MacDonald also developed a filming activity logistics plan and a travel plan. A road sensitivity study was conducted, which allowed planners to set a limit on daily traffic.

“The success of this project has to be put down to our multidiscipline teams working closely together,” said Jonathan. “Access to expertise across environmental management and town planning gave us the ability to achieve truly excellent outcomes.”