Long-delayed £100m hotel set to go ahead after deal on road

Construction work on the Flaxby Country Resort development, between York and Harrogate, has yet to start despite planning consent being granted 12 months ago.

The Skelwith Group, the York-based company behind the plans to create the five star hotel, maintained the development was still on track despite the construction industry being hit hard by the recession.

The firm has been involved in lengthy talks to ensure that major highways improvements are adequate to cope with the anticipated increase in traffic.

Discussions with North Yorkshire County Council are now entering their final stages, raising hopes that an agreement could be reached within the next month.

The company is already overseeing a multi-million pound development on the Yorkshire coast to transform Raithwaite Hall into a luxury hotel.

Skelwith Group managing director Paul Ellis maintained the Raithwaite Hall development, between Whitby and Sandsend, provided evidence that the Flaxby scheme would become a reality.

He added: “We’ve been in lengthy and complex discussions but we are expecting the process to get the legal agreements signed in the coming weeks with all parties.

“As with any major development, there are a myriad of issues to work through before work can start fully on site.

“We would like to reaffirm our commitment to the project and have every confidence that the Flaxby Country Resort will be an international destination that we can all be proud of.

“In these challenging economic times there is a lot of cynicism about this and other projects, but we hope we have proved our ability to deliver projects through the great work happening at Raithwaite Hall.”

Harrogate Borough Council granted permission for the development on March 30 last year in a planning saga dating back to 1992 when the proposals were first mooted.

But building work has been unable to start until the lengthy discussions to agree the Section 106 and 278 legal agreements have been completed.

Plans include a £3m overhaul of the A59, including a new roundabout to service the site and an extra lane created up to junction 47 of the A1, as part of the enabling works for the main hotel.

But highways officials at the county council have stressed there is a need to monitor traffic flows over the next decade to establish if more upgrades are needed. Traffic is now due to be monitored over a 10-year period through an electronic system run by the county council.

The results could lead to major improvements to the highways network surrounding the Flaxby site, such as introducing full-time or part-time signals at the junction 47 roundabout.

If traffic flows to the site increase dramatically, another option could see the junction’s slip road to the A1 widened.

Despite the lengthy discussions, it is hoped that work will start soon after the legal agreements have been reached.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire County Council confirmed that talks were continuing although she stressed that it was hoped they will be “resolved imminently”.

The five star hotel, which will have rooms available for up to £800 a night, will be set in 283 acres of woodland.

The development is due to include four helipads, three restaurants, a luxury spa complex, bars and boutiques.

It is expected that construction will take up to 18 months before the hotel is opened towards the end of next year.

It is estimated that the business will employ more than 200 people when it is fully operational.