Britain's first 'six-star resort' given go-ahead a year after application made
A PROPERTY mogul whose ventures include Alton Towers and the failed Battersea Power station bid has been granted planning permission for Britain's "first six-star" resort.
The re-branded Camel Creek Resort project was submitted more than a year ago by businessman John Broome and initially received a hostile response from the public.
But the ambitious scheme which includes 50 treehouses and more than 100 villas on the 90-acre site has now been given the go-ahead by planners who voted 17-2.
And developers promise the project will create nearly 1,000 jobs.
Cornwall Council's planning committee backed proposals to build the resort on the former Crealy Adventure Park between Wadebridge and St Columb.
Planners say building the luxury resort, which also received the support of local MP Scott Mann, is "considered to be an expansion of an existing tourism facility".
"The benefit of the application outweighs the negative impact. The extent of the harm associated with the development can be controlled through the imposition of conditions and planning obligations which will secure mitigation," said officials.
Committee chairman Rob Nolan said he was confident it was a genuine holiday resort and would bring economic benefits to the area.
But vowed that the council would impose a series of legally-binding conditions on developers to ensure that the scheme went ahead as planned.
Mr Broome has described the Camel Creek project as the creation of Britain's "first six-star resort".
The scheme involves a holiday and leisure park with 236 holiday lodges, facilities, exhibition space, a convention centre, ancillary services and service buildings, restaurant, cafe, public house and shops.
The holiday accommodation would include 106 villas, 84 courtyard properties and 46 tree houses. A new access road would be built off the B3274.
"If the Camel Creek Resort is developed there will be 997 jobs on site and at all levels as befits a luxury resort," said Mr Broome.
However, objectors fear the scheme will damage the environment and have questioned its sustainability.
St Issey Parish Council said the development is "of too large a scale to be positioned on this site, will have too large a negative impact on the local economy".
The parish council did not attend yesterday's meeting but local Cornwall councillor Jeremy Rowe expressed concern about the project's environmental impact and questioned whether issues concerning transport and drainage could be dealt with.
Councillor Mark Kaczmarek said he was worried about the loss of high-quality agricultural land, but officials said the site was not currently farmed.