Jobs hopes in £40m hotel project

Planning chiefs are ready to clear the way for the Skelwith Group to start work on the main hotel site at the Flaxby Country Resort, drawing a line under a saga dating back to 1992.

The group expects to start work on the prestige development and road improvements soon after today's meeting of Harrogate Council's planning committee.

The recommendation is that the application be deferred, but that the head of planning services should be authorised to approve the scheme subject to a number of conditions and any others officials feel are needed.

The developers say with more than 250 construction workers on site at any one time, and up to 400 jobs created when the hotel is operational, the project will provide a massive boost to the local and regional economy.

Group managing director Paul Ellis said: "The contractor is signed up, we have a first class hotel operator on board and funding secured. This is the last piece in the jigsaw to bring this fantastic development to fruition and to make it a reality.

"The development of the hotel will help to increase the local economy and we are looking for local suppliers and businesses to create Yorkshire's Resort and highlight the best that the area has to offer."

The Flaxby Country Resort will also include bars, restaurants, a luxury spa, restaurants and boutiques. The 240,000 ft development will be set around the existing 27-hole golf course, nestling in nearly 300 acres of countryside. Opening is expected by the end of 2011 and Wates Construction has been signed up as main contractor.

The course is in the running for the 2022 Ryder Cup and Lee Westwood has been signed up as the course professional from 2011 onwards, Mr Ellis added.

Planning committee members will be reminded today that outline planning permission was granted in 1992 for a golf course and country house hotel.

Officials say the hotel will inevitably draw some trade from existing hotels, spa and conferencing facilities, but due to the nature, location and proposed pricing of the Flaxby hotel it is not considered that this will be significant.

Figures suggest it will bring nearly 30m of new trade and a major jobs bonus to the area, where more than 12 per cent of jobs are tourism related, one point higher than the regional average, and nearly 2,200 people are currently out of work.

Harrogate planning officer Neville Watson said the site normally would not be considered for a hotel because its location breached Government policies to protect the countryside and concentrate such development in town centres.

But consent had already been granted for a hotel on the site to complement the golf course and the proposed development would boost local tourism and bring in visitors from outside the region, he added.

He continued: "Although it will draw some trade from existing competing facilities, the proposed development is unlikely to undermine the vitality and viability of the district's centres.

"It will support the conference and business tourism industry through the provision of new modern conferencing space and additional good quality accommodation."

There would also be knock-on benefits for local services and suppliers, as well as a large number of jobs created.

Mr Watson's report underlined there were issues about the design of the building.

But these concerns had to be balanced against the benefits, and the long list of planning conditions designed to reduce the impact on the landscape and address other concerns, he argued.