Holiday resort challenges expansion plan refusal

The owners of a holiday resort which boasts its own 18-hole golf course is challenging the decision to refuse permission to expand.

The proposal for an extra 76 holiday lodges at Overstone Park in Northamptonshire was rejected after 163 objections from members of the public.

Council planning officers had recommended approval, but councillors decided to go against their advice.

They had been told the park could decline and eventually close if the plan was turned down.

Overstone Park already has 115 second-home lodges on its 115-acre (46.5 ha) site, but the owners wanted to provide 76 new units.

Thirty of the extra lodges would be similar to those already at the park, but 46 would be "more conventional" in design, the owners said.

Planning agent Joney Ramirez told councillors at the meeting that the business had been in decline for more than a decade. 

She added that not getting investment from the proposals could lead to the park's decline and potential closure.

She explained that the applicant had already compromised on the number of lodges, taking them down from the initial proposal of a further 105 units.

The owners of the resort said the increase in value from the new lodges would help them provide a revitalised restaurant, equipment for the gym and studio, a refurbished swimming pool with sauna, modernised changing rooms and a brand new tennis court.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the 163 objections received by the council included concerns about the look of the new 'twin-unit lodges' and fears their introduction could have transformed the resort into a 'caravan park'.

Following the appeal against refusal, the final decision on the plans will be taken by the government's planning inspectorate, which has the power to reverse the council's decision.

Final comments on the appeal from both parties are due in the middle of March.

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