Lobslack Seed Processing Facility, Cheshire – Forestry England

It makes perfect sense. A building devoted to the future of our nation’s trees and horticulture, constructed with UK-grown, sustainably sourced timber. You can see why the Lobslack project was the perfect fit for Buckland Timber.

Lobslack is Forestry England’s new state-of-the-art seed processing facility, located near Delamere Forest in Cheshire. Along with Buckland, the team was made up of EWA Architects and Civic Engineers, with Willmott Dixon joining as the main contractor. In October 2024, it was excellent to welcome Mary Creagh, Minister for Nature, who joined us to mark the official opening.

The finished building now houses the largest seed extractory operation in the UK, replacing the old facility at Alice Holt Forest (built in 1964). Purpose-built from the ground up, it boasts advanced machinery, cold and dry storage, and energy-efficient systems – all supporting Forestry England’s goal to increase the supply of UK-grown seed and reduce reliance on imports.

The structure incorporates 18-metre spruce glulam beams with spruce cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels, and the overall look was topped off with Grown in Britain (GiB) certified UK-grown larch for the canopy, which also gives weather protection.

The project team designed and constructed everything around a carbon net-zero target, achieved with the help of solar PV panels, water storage, triple glazing, and sustainable drainage solutions. These features are all optimised by Willmott Dixon’s EnergySynergy® monitoring process to make sure the energy performance meets expectations.

Sustainability was integral, not just an afterthought, so the building practices what it preaches. Costs reduced, sustainability secured, future protected.

This project was shortlisted for project of the year at the 2025 Structural Timber Awards