A popular forest in Cheshire is set to be upgraded with a new visitor welcome hub.

Willmott Dixon has landed a £9 million contract to build the wooden-framed facility at Delamere Forest.

The project will improve the visitor experience with a new café featuring upgraded facilities including more indoor and outdoor seating, along with key accessibility improvements and a new car park with extra capacity and enhanced vehicle access to cater for busy days and popular events.

The contractor will begin work later this month and finish the main phase of works by summer 2020.

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Sustainability will play a key role in the project with solar panels, a ground source heat pump, a sustainable drainage design and rainwater harvesting all set to be incorporated.

As part of the project, Forestry England's long-term partner, Forest Holidays, has also started to create a new cabin location so people will have the opportunity to stay overnight in a cabin in the heart of Delamere Forest.

Paddy Harrop, Forest Management Director for Central District including Delamere, said: "The new visitor hub is the most significant investment for Forestry England this year and shows how important Delamere Forest is as a visitor destination. It's an important green space for people living in nearby cities and towns to come and enjoy and these new facilities will really improve their experience. Forest Holidays' cabins will allow visitors to experience Delamere in a new way and their investment will help to support the project."

This scheme was procured via Major Works England and Northern Ireland, a part of the Scape National Construction framework.

(CM/JG)