National Forest Sustainable Tourist Accommodation Early Market Engagement Exercise

The National Forest Company is seeking ambitious partners to develop sustainable tourist accommodation and help create a pioneering sustainable tourism destination across the 200 square miles of the National Forest, covering parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Staffordshire.

Operators, developers, investors, agents, designers, and manufacturers specialising in sustainable tourist accommodation are invited to participate in an early market engagement exercise.

The primary objective of the exercise is to attract businesses and investors to develop new sustainable tourist accommodation in the National Forest, in line with the National Forest's 25-year vision and priorities.

This vision aims to develop the National Forest as a pioneering sustainable destination that promotes nature, well-being, and achieves net zero emissions.

The exercise builds upon an established programme of activities to engage and support private land and woodland owners across the National Forest who are interested in creating sustainable tourist accommodation projects, either directly themselves or in partnership with others.

In addition to sites owned by third party landowners, land owned by the National Forest Company has also been identified for possible development.

Interested parties are invited to express their interest by outlining their services, how they propose to work with potential landowners in the National Forest, and how they would adhere to the National Forest Company's sustainability principles outlined in the National Forest Sustainable Tourism Accommodation Design Guide (available at: https://www.nationalforest.org/tourism).

Opportunities exist for all forms of overnight sustainable tourist accommodation, including cabins, lodges, shepherd's huts, tree houses, pods, tented, camping and hotel/serviced accommodation, as well as both on-grid and off-grid accommodation units, to attract guests looking for a unique and immersive woodland escape.

Organisations interested in taking part in the early market engagement exercise and would like to request a copy of the detailed investment prospectus, are invited to have an initial conversation with Adam Gough at Forward Land, the agent overseeing the process on behalf of the National Forest Company.

Adam can be contacted via email at adam@forwardland.co.uk or by phone at 07939 225 643.

Upon receipt of the detailed investment prospectus, interested parties will be encouraged to complete an expression of interest form detailing how their proposal will meet the objectives of the early market engagement exercise.

The closing date to receive a first round of expression of interests is noon on Friday 31 October 2024.

Further details about the early market engagement exercise can be found at https://www.nationalforest.org/whats-new/news/visionaries-invited-to-help-shape-the-future-of-sustainable-tourism-accommodation