Pictures – Dom Webb – Campaigner
Pictures – Great Wolf Lodge Water Park
the local planning authority.”
The proposal for a Great Wolf Lodge water park resort planned for 19.3 hectares of agricultural land between Barlborough, Clowne and Whitwell includes a hotel, a water park, a family entertainment centre, conferencing facilities, restaurants, staff accommodation, and a 900-space car park with associated access and landscaping.
Mr Webb has also argued that Derbyshire County Council’s highway authority has recommended the matter be deferred and delayed until all its concerns have been addressed and that no progress should be permitted until Active Travel England’s concerns and position is fully known.
He outlined grounds for the ‘call-in’ based on concerns over the scheme’s potential climate change impacts, the potential highways carbon impact, and what he claims is a need for the applicant’s Transport Assessment to address the carbon reduction hierarchy guidelines.
Additionally, he believes the water park scheme should be considered alongside the Clowne Garden Village scheme in terms of their joint viability, because he argues any failure to do so means the developer Waystone will not have to fulfil on it’s full £1,463,597 SEND contributions in relation to the housing scheme because these contributions have been deferred subject to a viability review based only on the housing scheme.
Mr Webb has also argued it will be necessary to consider the effects of both developments combined on traffic, heritage, landscape and air quality.
In addition, he is arguing that Active Travel England and Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority have both indicated that there is not sufficient sustainable travel links around the water park site for non-car travel including cycle routes, bus and rail stops.
He also claims the water park scheme will have wider effects including a greater impact on Junction 30 of the M1 motorway, reduced SEND funding for the whole of Derbyshire, and an impact on other heritage assets in the area.
And Mr Webb claims a wider cumulative assessment is needed due to the nearby Bolsover District Council’s Creswell Growth Plans which are expected to involve more housing, employment and growth in the area with greater traffic around the A616 and A619 corridor and the nearby Treble Bob Roundabout.
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.
Mr Webb’s other concerns include potential noise, drainage and flood risks and the impact on the area’s ecology, biodiversity and air quality from the water park scheme.
But Great Wolf Resorts hopes its scheme may create about 600 jobs and attract visitors to the area with possible ‘day passes’ previously proposed for residents to access facilities without having to book accommodation.
Planning documents state the scheme has the potential to result in significant direct investment in the area and to serve as a positive catalyst for future development.
Great Wolf Resorts has said the scheme could deliver significant economic, social and environmental benefits and it estimates that 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.
The company 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, however both Say NO to the Wolf and Clowne Garden Village Action Group campaigners still suspect plans for a nearby water park resort in Derbyshire have been influenced by the approved housing scheme.
And despite concerns that such developments may create traffic problems, Great Wolf stated this will not be the case as guests tend to arrive gradually at different times rather than all together.
Campaigners still fear the two projects may lead to combined environmental impacts with an increase in traffic despite a recent legal finding that there was no need for the council to assess the cumulative impact of the proposed water park when considering the Clowne Garden Village plans as Mr Webb’s bid for a judicial review into the housing scheme has twice been refused.
Bolsover District Council has also 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 housing scheme.
Great Wolf has argued that 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.
It added that its resorts operate like a hotel rather than a traditional British holiday park, with no set change-over-days, arrival windows or departure times for guests which helps to reduce traffic levels.
A Great Wolf spokesperson argued traffic studies and reports indicate that even during peak arrival time there would only be an additional two cars per minute with a negligible impact on the environment.
The company added its resorts primarily attracts family groups who will car share, but it also intends to operate a minibus service from stations to the Whitwell Common resort for guests and staff and proposals also include active travel with footway improvements across for pedestrians, cyclists and other forms of non-automated travel.
Great Wolf explained it aims to rewild 5.7 hectares to the west of the site and there are plans to plant thousands of trees on the site with improvements to hedgerows around the periphery promoting a better environment for wildlife with a significant biodiversity net gain.
It claims rewilded land will provide an opportunity to improve the public right of way and permissive paths on the 5.7 hectares for the community.
Council Leader, Cllr Jane Yates, has stated that the authority regards the water park scheme as an exciting project that appears to meet one of its key priorities – growth – with the creation of jobs while providing leisure opportunities.
The Say No to the Wolf campaign group, which attracted over 250 residents to one of its meetings, fears the water park scheme will pose increased traffic problems and environmental harm to the region alongside the Clowne Garden Village scheme.
During the Clowne Garden Village planning process, a consultation attracted at least 1,400 comments and the Clowne Garden Village Action Group’s membership grew to over 2,000 people and its online and paper petitions attracted over 6,000 signatures from residents opposed to the housing scheme.
Mr Webb is also appealing to the Court of Appeal in a further bid for a judicial review into the Clowne Garden Village scheme regarding his concerns about the SEND funding arrangements for the community from the developer after an original appeal to a high court was refused.
The council and Great Wolf were invited to comment on Mr Webb’s request for the water park planning application to be called in by the Secretary of State for determination but at the time of publication neither had responded.
