Concerns raised over holiday park plans

Three parish councils have raised concerns over plans to build a holiday park in Derbyshire.

Clowne Parish Council and Whitwell Parish Council have submitted objections, while Barlborough Parish Council has raised "significant concerns" about an application from Great Wolf Resorts to create a new attraction on land south of Worksop Road.

Objections submitted from Clowne and Whitwell parish councils state the proposals for a water park, an adventure park and a 512-room hotel would be "incompatible" and "inappropriate" for the area.

Great Wolf Resorts said the design had been adapted to be more "cottage-like and the landscaping expanded to better blend with the surroundings".

According to planning documents, the proposed development would be built on a 19.3-hectare (47.7-acre) site, which is currently agricultural land.

The proposed water park would consist of a range of attractions including slides, rides, lazy rivers, toddler pools and a wave machine.

The company - described in planning documents as the largest operator of water park resorts in North America - said the proposed development would deliver "significant economic, social and environmental benefits" in the area and could create about 600 jobs.

It also estimated the increased number of visitors, if the proposed development gets the go-ahead, would lead to £1m of additional spend per year to the area.

However, concerns have been raised by Clowne Parish Council that the resort would be a "one-stop experience" for visitors and the economic impact on the local area would not be significant enough.

Sharon O'Connell, who lives in Whitwell Common, opposite the site of the proposed attraction, said the whole business model of the proposed park would be aimed at keeping people on-site, rather than encouraging them to spend money in the community.

She added the cited figure of £1m was "not that great" in terms of the local economy.

O'Connell also pointed out that given the plans included a staff accommodation block for 200 people, it was questionable whether any of the newly-created jobs would actually go to local people - and if workers came from other areas, this could lead to more cars on nearby roads.

"There's just a lot of questions that they don't seem to have been answered and there's almost a smokescreen over our concerns basically," she said.

The company said recruitment would "target" the local community and it hoped to fill the majority of vacancies locally, with the staff accommodation acting as a "contingency, should the need arise".

A spokesperson for Great Wolf Resorts said: "At all of our US resorts, we've found that our guests will visit local restaurants and cafes on their journey to and from the Lodge, as well as during their stay.

"We aim to be a part of the overall tourist economy and fully expect there to be benefits to other tourism venues in the Bolsover district and the wider Derbyshire area."

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