£12m luxury leisure development set for North Yorkshire
A PLANNING proposal has been submitted for the region’s first five-star luxury lodge leisure development of its type, with a spa, clubhouse, brasserie, delicatessen and village store.
The proposed £12m Forest Lakes development is for 46 luxury lodges at the edge of Sutton on the Forest, near Easingwold. The eco-friendly wooden buildings will see the high-spec cedar lodges positioned around lakes located outside the North Yorkshire village.
The scheme is set to create 124 jobs in the local area, including 44 on the Forest Lakes site. If the go ahead is given by planners, it plans to be open by 2016.
The developer of the proposed site, Yorkshire-based Luxury Lodge Group, has worked on the design of the project for over two years, conducting extensive ecological, wildlife, transport and pollution studies prior to deciding the final scope and detail of the planning application.
“We are really proud of this development and firmly believe it will sensitively provide five-star accommodation in a rural setting,” said Richard Burns, development director of Luxury Lodge Group, which will build the site and manage the facility of freehold lodges.
James Elliott of Harrogate-based Aspect Architecture led the design of the parkland scheme. “The proposal is a new take on a luxury second home or holiday accommodation, and it will bring lasting benefits to the local economy, as well as new facilities to residents who already live here,” he said. “We have tried to ensure we understand what the planners want to see in a scheme that is sensitive to the environment, the green belt and the local economy.”
The 11-acre site will house 46 two, three and four-bedroom (620 sq ft to 1,335 sq ft) lodges, which will all feature the highest spec IT, super-efficient, low-energy heating systems, and luxury guest services much like a five-star hotel.
The brasserie and bar, which will be located at the heart of the luxury spa and clubhouse, will be open to local members, and will offer eat-in and takeaway meals to the lodges delivered by specially adapted golf buggies. A chauffer service, on-site concierge and 24-hour security will ensure that owners and guests have a hotel experience with the space and independence of a rental holiday home.
“We anticipate a great deal of interest in the lodges from people in the south of England looking for a second home. On the doorstep of the North York Moors and the Dales, the site would benefit from attractive North Yorkshire property prices, and it also has great connections to the capital, with the A1 and East Coast mainline just a few miles away,” added Mr Burns.
