UK-Bristol: Recreational, cultural and sporting services.

Scope

Scope: Delamere Forest Concession Opportunity

Description:

Forestry England have a potential future opportunity at Delamere Forest for the provision of a concession installation. Forestry England are currently researching potential commercial uses for the current bike hire building on site. We are seeking interest and feedback from the wider market as to potential appropriate activities/services that would be a cohesive fit with the forestry environment and our visitor profile at the Delamere site.

Delamere Forest is the largest woodland in Cheshire, covering an area of 972 hectares. A mixture of woodland, internationally important meres and mosses, as well as Old Pale Heights – the highest point in the Cheshire Plain – and several Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Delamere has excellent transport links and lies between the Manchester, Liverpool and Chester conurbations. Welcoming approximately 750,000 visitors each year, Delamere is a popular destination for outdoor activities like walking, running, cycling and horse riding. There are also a number of annual sports events, as well as Forestry England’s annual music series, Forest Live.

As one of Forestry England’s flagship sites, the visitor facilities are centred around the state-of-the-art Visitor Centre, which was built in 2020. Facilities include a number of carparks, a café, education, Go Ape, waymarked trails and several long-distance Public Rights of Way that cut through the forest. There’s also a Forest Holidays location within Delamere, consisting of 62 luxury cabins and a retreat.

Forestry England are currently scoping our requirements to ensure that any future tender documentation accurately reflects the offerings of the market. We invite companies from the market to register their interest in this future requirement and provide feedback on potential clarifications and the feasibility of our emerging plans. We also invite suppliers to provide suggestions on potential concessions that they believe would be a suitable fit for the Delamere forest site.
To view this notice, please click here:
https://forestryengland.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=964022069

Total value (estimated):

GBP 4,583,333.33 excluding VAT GBP 5,500,000 including VAT

Contract dates (estimated)

15/03/2026 to 15/03/2036

CPV Classifications:

92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services.

Delivery regions:

UKD6 Cheshire

Engagement

Engagement deadline
21/08/2025
The engagement was carried out before this notice was published. Engagement process description:
We invite companies from the market to register their interest in this future requirement and provide feedback on potential clarifications and the feasibility of our emerging plans. We also invite suppliers to provide suggestions on potential concessions that they believe would be a suitable fit for the Delamere forest site.
While we expect any new opportunity to be open during our peak visitor times (i.e., weekends and school holidays) any opportunity to attract new visitors or outside our peak times will be considered.
Please register your interest with commercial.services@forestryengland.uk by close of business Thursday 21st August 2025.

Contracting authority

Forestry England, PLRM-7846-HGLG
620 Bristol Business Park, Bristol, BS16 1EJ, United Kingdom
Email: commercial.services@forestryengland.uk
Contact: Emily Coffin
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.forestryengland.uk/

Organisation type: MINISTRY
Devolved regulations that apply: None