Village vows to fight extension project at top Yorkshire hotel

The controversial proposals, to extend the Grade-II listed Nidd Hall Hotel at Nidd, near Harrogate with a new building providing 19 extra bedrooms, are being put before a Harrogate Council planning committee next week.

But residents who live in the shadow of the four-star hotel claim the extension will mean up to 40,000 guests arriving every year, and say it will overwhelm the 100 people who live in the village.

The clerk of Nidd Parish Council which has formally objected to the plans, Sian Richardson, said: "It is a small and tight-knit community here.

"Nidd Hall sits in the centre of the village rather than in isolation in the surrounding countryside and as such it has a significant impact on the life of the village and its residents.

"There are no public facilities such as a pub or shop in the village and we are not served by public transport.

"The parish council believes that any further development will be an over-intensification of the use of the site and it will have a detrimental effect on our quality of life. An extension of the visitor population is unacceptable."

Ms Richardson added: "The scale of the existing operation is of a magnitude which means that the village residents have already had to adjust to a significant loss of amenity in their lives and we believe that it is unreasonable to expect them to cope with any further erosion of their quiet enjoyment of the village."

Nidd Hall was built in the 1820s for Benjamin Rawson, a wealthy Bradford wool merchant.

It is set in 45 acres of stunning countryside and is rumoured to be the place where the future King Edward VIII first met American divorcee Wallis Simpson – the woman he gave up the throne to marry.

The building was sold by Lord Mountgarret, the 17th Viscount Mountgarret, in 1968, following the death of his father and

permission was granted for its conversion into a 45-bedroom hotel.

The building was bought by Warner Leisure Hotels in 1996 and further permission was granted for it to be extended to 182 bedrooms and a large-scale entertainment suite which included a swimming pool and ballroom.

The latest plans, for a detached single storey building with 19 bedrooms and an underground link to Nidd Hall, were specifically requested to be put before planning committee rather than be dealt with by delegated powers, by local councillor Michael Harrison.

He said: "I don't ask for that very often but this is a very significant development and is the most controversial application that has been put forward here for a while.

"I have had some complaints bought to my attention by some residents and I wanted everybody to have an opportunity to present this case in public.

"The village is a close and private community and is right in the shadow of the hotel but does have limited services.

"I can understand why the residents would be wary of anything that would impact on their community but I can see why Nidd Hall as a business needs to improve and extend their business plan."

The plans, which have been recommended for approval by council officers, will go before a Harrogate Council planning committee on April 27.

Last year the hotel was awarded a coveted four star rating by the AA, following a 1.2m refurbishment programme.

Warner Leisure Hotels was unavailable for comment yesterday.