Campaigners and residents who still suspect plans for a waterpark resort in Derbyshire have been influenced by a recently approved nearby controversial housing scheme fear the two projects may lead to combined further impacts on the environment with an increase in traffic.
Bolsover District Council is considering Great Wolf Resorts’ plans for the indoor water park and resort on the edge of Clowne after the authority finalised Waystone Ltd’s planning permission for the 1,800 home housing scheme Clowne Garden Village in August with agreed financial infrastructure contributions from the developer worth millions of pounds.
But campaigners who are pursuing a judicial inquiry into the Clowne Garden Village before it gets underway amidst on-going concerns including overcrowding, the impact on highways and the environment, flooding and the loss of some Green Belt land also fear additional developments including at nearby Creswell could have a further combined detrimental effect for the region’s highways and environment.
Campaigners have been further galvanised after Great Wolf Resorts invited residents and concerned parties to a second public consultation at Creswell Crags, with complimentary parking, between 3pm and 8pm, on September 9, to share their views.
A Great Wolf Resorts spokesperson said: “We are in the latter stages of developing our ideas following our first consultation in the spring and we wish to share more details of how a Great Wolf Lodge could contribute to the local area.”
Councillors first met on May 6 with representatives from the major US based leisure operator Great Wolf Resorts who outlined their idea for a family-oriented waterpark resort to be sited on land off the A619 Gapsick Lane junction on the outskirts of Clowne.
The proposed resort could feature a 500-plus bedroom hotel, an indoor water park, conference facilities, and leisure offerings including mini-golf, mini-bowling, ropes course, games arcade and a selection of restaurants, cafes and bars – all to be subject to a consultation and planning process.
Great Wolf Lodge is North America’s leading brand for family resorts that offer indoor water parks, family dining and other attractions and it is hoped the proposed development in Clowne may create up to 500 jobs and attract visitors to the area with ‘day passes’ to be made available for residents so they can access facilities without having to book accommodation.
But Clowne Garden Village Action Group Chairperson Dom Webb has said it is right to question the choice of location under the circumstances because he suspects the council needs to support the Clowne Garden Village scheme.
Mr Webb has also previously raised suspicions that the proposed resort may also allow for another source for more funding to support the necessary multi-million pound improvement scheme for The Treble Bob roundabout to accommodate and facilitate the Clowne Garden Village scheme.
Agreed S106 financial infrastructure contributions for the Clowne Garden Village from the developer include a new Treble Bob roundabout scheme, an M1 motorway Junction 30 scheme and a travel plan.
Campaigners have argued the proposed Treble Bob roundabout scheme may not be enough to cope with thousands of new motorists from the Clowne Garden Village or with any additional developments, including from nearby Creswell, which some believe could have a combined detrimental effect for the region’s highways.
The Treble Bob Roundabout – named after the nearby Harvester Treble Bob restaurant – is off Oxcroft Way, the A619 Chesterfield Road, and the A616 to Junction 30 of the M1 motorway, and it sees busy traffic movements between Clowne and Barlborough and the M1 motorway and some already regard it as dangerous.
Improvement plans for the Treble Bob roundabout, according to Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority, have been agreed in relation to the Clowne Garden Village with National Highways who are responsible for the highway network including Junction 30 of the M1 motorway which will also be subject to a new scheme and travel plan.
Plans for the new leisure resort are only at the consultation stage and Great Wolf Resorts has not yet submitted a planning application and it is not yet clear what traffic impact this scheme may have on the region but this will be considered by the county council’s highways authority which can raise objections if necessary.
The scheme’s first Great Wolf Lodge resort consultation event was held on May 20, at Clowne Town Cricket Club.
Great Wolf Resorts currently operates over 20 Great Wolf Lodge branded resorts in the United States and Canada, designed around family holidays.
It also has planning permission to build a UK resort near Bicester, in Oxfordshire – described as a £200m investment project – and it is looking to develop a site in Basingstoke.
Plans for its first UK resort in Chesterton, near Bicester, were originally refused by Cherwell District Council after residents and Chesterton Parish Council raised concerns about an influx of visitors and the impact on highways and the environment but it got the go-ahead following an appeal to the planning inspectorate with plans for infrastructure improvements.
However, Great Wolf has recently stated the Chesterton development has been ‘paused’ while it explores the potential of additional resort locations within the UK to reach more families with a stronger entry into the market.
This development previously faced huge opposition from Chesterton residents and surrounding parish councils who believed it would damage the environment and cause traffic problems.
Great Wolf Lodge has stressed its plans for a resort near Clowne have nothing to do with Clowne Garden Village and it is not reliant on the housing scheme and it is looking at the whole country rather than for an alternative site for the Bicester scheme.
And despite concerns that such developments may create traffic like those associated with other resort parks, Great Wolf Lodge stated this will not be the case as guests tend to arrive gradually at different times rather than all together.
A Great Wolf Lodge spokesperson has stated it has been exploring opportunities to expand its signature Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park resort experience beyond North America and it is excited by the growth potential within the UK market.
Great Wolf Lodge is reviewing multiple potential locations in the UK including in Clowne and Hampshire and claims these resorts will provide around 500 permanent jobs and bring a world-class leisure facility to the region, attracting tourists and investment.
A Great Wolf spokesperson previously said most families will travel from neighbouring areas and stay overnight so its choice of location
is more focused on accessibility and is not related to or dependent on the proposed future Clowne Garden Village.
The spokesperson added that its resorts operate like a hotel rather than a traditional British holiday park, with no set change-over-days, arrival or departure times which helps to reduce traffic levels.
Bolsover District Council has insisted the timing of the proposed location for a new multi-million pound leisure resort on the outskirts of Clowne has not been influenced by plans for the Clowne Garden Village housing scheme.
A council spokesperson has stated Great Wolf submitted an enquiry liaising with national, regional and local departments of Government, calling for suitable sites and Bolsover District Council and other local authorities submitted sites that met the company’s requirements.
Council Leader, Cllr Jane Yates, has said this is an exciting project and one of the council’s key priorities is growth with the creation of jobs and this proposal not only meets this but will provide leisure opportunities.
