David Marshall Lodge is the flagship visitor attraction in the heart of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park (QEFP). It has served the area well for the past 50 years as a major recreation, leisure and educational resource but in order to ensure that it is well placed to meet the challenges of the next fifty years, a well-deserved upgrade is necessary.
We are carrying out a refurbishment that will give a new lease of life to this listed building. It will bring its facilities up to modern day standards and equip the centre with quality recreation, catering and retail facilities to meet visitor demand.
The look, the feel and the layout of the lodge will be improved – and the path network and car parking will be upgraded to make access easier for all abilities.
Overall, the refurbishment will maintain DML as a flagship visitor attraction that will help ensure that the Forest Park continues to deliver a range of benefits to biodiversity, to the community and to the local economy.
We also hope that it will draw even more visitors to the area and help to ensure that David Marshall’s founding ethos and legacy will live on.
For the latest news and progress on the re-development, Follow Our Blog
The work programme
The first phase of work (December 2011 to April/May 2012) focuses on the car park and grounds surrounding the Lodge. This aims to improve safety by taking service traffic away from pedestrian areas, re-arrange parking areas and increase the amount of visitor parking. This phase will also see the construction of an all abilities path from the Lodge to the waterfall, with nature play incorporated along the trail.
You can view the plans and images that were approved by the LLTNP planning authority here.
The second phase of work (September 2012 – March 2013) will focus on the Lodge itself - refurbishing the building, making it accessible for all abilities and improving the layout of the lodge for the benefit of visitors. We will also improve the wildlife viewing, and provide additional external toilets on the site.
Safety
The visitor centre will be open at its usual times during the car park upgrade but visitors are urged to obey diversion signs and safety instructions.
Design proposals and information about the refurbishment are on display at David Marshall Lodge. Planning documents will be submitted at the end of March 2012 and we hope to begin work in September.
Media enquiries
Contact Paul Munro:
Email: paul.munro@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.
Tel: 0131 314 6507
You can also follow the progress of the development on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DMLaberfoyle
