Holiday village approved
NEW LEASE OF LIFE FOR AREA AS COUNCIL AGREE TO PLANS
A COUNTRYSIDE getaway in the style of the Center Parcs model is set to be built alongside a golfing complex near Rutland Water.
Planning permission has been granted to extend Woolfox Golf and Country Club, in Empingham, into a holiday village.
Rutland County Council has approved the plans, which include the erection of 60 “high-quality lodges” of three sizes, fit for individual use or family stays.
They will be grouped around lakes and split by green spaces filled with shrubs and trees for privacy.
Barns will be transformed into a leisure suite, complete with a swimming pool and communal area.
Changes to the golf course will also be made as well as the addition of lakes to develop the 185acre site. A circular walk will be created as part of the plans to regenerate the golf club and enhance the landscape along with a number of leisure and fitness activities.
The former Rutland County Golf Club was sold to new owners at the beginning of 2020.
They rebranded it as the Woolfox Golf and Country Club, with the expectation of generating “alternative income streams” to ensure the club could continue to trade.
Consideration for the new plans is said to have been accelerated by the pandemic and the growing trend for staycations, as stated in the planning statement.
It is intended that the completed site would be suitable for weekend stays and extended vacations. Guests will have access to new clubhouse facilities including a meal service and access to the existing driving range, which will continue to be available to the public on a casual basis.
Consideration for the new plans is said to have been accelerated by the growing trend for staycations Application