Rural body attacks £350m scheme

Oak Holdings has been developing the YES! Project for several years and won planning permission in early 2007 for what is described as an entertainment and convention centre.

A 327-acre site between Rotherham and Sheffield has been earmarked for the plan and under an agreement with Rotherham Council will include part of Rother Valley Country Park.

Some amendments to the original scheme have been made, and will be considered by planners in the next few weeks, but protesters have now called for work to be halted completely.

The South Yorkshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England said the YES! Project was "outrageous and over the top" and said Rotherham Council should rethink its support.

CPRE workers called on people to write letters to the authority to reject the proposals, which Oak say would create more than 2,000 jobs.

Plans show a 1.2m sq ft covered "resort centre" which the company says would be the "largest undercover leisure-based scheme in Europe" built on restored coalfield land.

It would include hotels, spas, and shopping centres as well as corporate venues for conferences and exhibitions and zones where people can "explore their favourite brands".

But John King, the CPRE planning officer said: "We can see how things like a chocolate experience and brewing experience sound like exciting tourist attractions. But it is completely over the top to build such a massive development on precious, restored green belt land. There is plenty of undeveloped brownfield land in Rotherham that is far more suitable and could actually help regenerate urban areas.

"Rother Valley Country Park lies in a valuable sliver of green belt that separates Rotherham, Sheffield and North East Derbyshire. Green belt is protected and plays a crucial role in preventing urban sprawl, so we have to stop these outrageous plans."

The CPRE also warned that the YES! Project would cause local traffic problems with car parking for 3,500 cars, but Oak Holdings' chief executive Steve Lewis said those concerns had been dealt with.

Mr Lewis said: "When the original application went in to Rotherham Council, there was a full consultation process and the CPRE were the only objectors to our plans at that time.

"The application went right up to the Government and since then we haven't had any contact with the CPRE, but I would be happy to take them on a tour of the site to explain the scheme.

"This is quite an advanced plan and all the environmental aspects have been taken into consideration.

"It took a long time to get all that agreed with the local authority.

"We have only slightly amended the scheme to make it more deliverable in the current economic climate so these comments come as something of a surprise."

Oak Holdings signed a lease agreement with Rotherham Council in may last year to take over the running of Rother Valley Country Park, which is a popular attraction.

The park covers more than 1,000 acres and Mr Lewis said the YES! Project would be an ideal fit with the surrounding countryside making it a "green lung" in the urban environment.

He added: "The project includes the protection of a large amount of natural resources and I am sure we can assuage the issues that the CPRE have with the project."

Nobody at Rotherham Council was available to comment on the scheme.