Holiday park blossoms with botanist's support

The new holiday area, called Castle View, is at 600-year-old Witton Castle Country Park, near Bishop Auckland, which was acquired two years ago by Bridlington-based Shorewood Leisure Group.

Other improvements include commissioning a new written history for the Grade II castle, which dates back to the 14th century, re-decorating parts of the building and agreeing plans to improve trout fishing from the 21 acres of lakes.

The 338-acre park has planning consent to increase capacity to 475 holiday homes and 186 touring caravans. Work on phase two, which will create a further 100 pitches in a woodland setting, to be known as Castle Wood, is due to be completed by the end of 2010

Shorewood Leisure Group aims to create 100 more pitches each year at a cost of 1m and aims to achieve capacity by 2013.

Witton Castle, which was licensed by the Bishop of Durham in 1410, and was once owned by former Tory MP Lord Lampton, is the flagship estate in the portfolio of Shorewood Leisure Group which owns eight other leisure parks throughout the UK.

The group, based at the Grade II Marton Hall, in Sewerby, has a leisure portfolio employing 90 staff at properties including holiday leisure parks near Hull, Hornsea, Bridlington, Guisborough, Berwick and East Lothian, and Percy Golf and Country retreat, Swarland, Morpeth.