Campaigners are pleased controversial plans to build a holiday park at Delamere Forest will be the subject of a public inquiry.

The Forestry Commission/Forest Holidays was granted permission in October for a master plan at the popular visitor attraction, including 70 log cabins.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s strategic planning committee concluded there were ‘very special circumstances’ to justify the scheme being in the green belt.

But the decision was automatically referred to the National Planning Casework Unit as a departure from national policy and secretary of state Eric Pickles has decided to ‘call in’ the application for review before making the final decision.

Lead campaigner Nigel Gilding commented: “The news that the proposals are to be the subject of a public inquiry is very welcome, we now need to ensure that the diggers are stopped in their tracks to prevent further damage to the forest.

“In recent weeks, there has been a great deal of activity in the forest, even though the developers hadn’t actually gained planning permission, because the committee had referred the application.

“We have written to the planning department and asked for them to issue an enforcement notice to prevent any preparatory works from going ahead until the public inquiry is complete and the decision published.”

Council spokesman Ian Callister said: “We can confirm that the Secretary of State has called in the application and that the campaigners have made a complaint to the authority with regard to work being done in the forest. We will investigate that complaint with a view to ascertaining whether any work done would have needed planning permission.”

Delamere Project manager Andrea Peattie said: “Forest Holidays and the Forestry Commission respect that planning permission is being deferred to the Secretary of State and will participate fully in the forthcoming Public Inquiry to demonstrate the robustness of the proposals for Delamere Forest. The development will not commence until such permission is granted.”

She did not wish to comment on claims that unauthorised work had taken place.