Holiday lodges, farm shop and cafe planned for old quarry site
PLANS to transform an old quarry site into a holiday destination have been drawn up.
The design includes a new farm shop and cafe, alongside 33 holiday lodges and a 35-acre solar farm.
The application submitted to Harborough District Council intends to entirely redevelop part of the land formerly used as the Slip Inn Quarry, in Leicester Road, Dunton Bassett.
Applicant ATE Farms wants to turn the grassland into a holiday home site, with a number of additional features.
A farm shop, office buildings, industrial floorspace and 33 holiday lodges are all part of the proposals, along with an electric car charging facility for 20 vehicles. The developers also want to build a solar farm on the site, which would operate for 25 years and produce a reported seven mega watts of power a year.
Near Lutterworth, the site has not been used for quarrying since the 1980s. It was restored as farmland following the quarry’s closure.
A coffee shop is also planned to feature inside the farm shop, as well as two kitchens and a deli.
Sitting above will be a floor of conference rooms which businesses can hire out.
The holiday homes have a wooden design and will feature pitched roofs, timber doors and decking. They will differ in sizes, ranging from two to four beds.
The applicant also wants to add three ponds to the site, to try to stop flooding caused by stormy weather. Vehicle access to the development will be from Leicester Road.
Planning documents state that the new site will help “maximise the potential of tourism within the district” and “encourage movement by walking and cycling” as secure bike storage would be available on site.
It is also claimed the proposal will make no adverse impact on the environment and that the site’s electricity would all be generated by the proposed solar farm.