£8 million holiday park plan unveiled for quiet Yorkshire village

Proposals to build an £8 million holiday park in a quiet Yorkshire village have caused controversy in the local area.

Kirkby Fleetham, a village of around 500 people in north Yorkshire, is home to a small school, popular hiking trails and the Black Horse Inn.

Owners of the pub, the Fat Badger Group, have now announced plans to convert the space behind the property into a holiday park.

With 24 lodges, 11 holiday lets, a farm shop, spa and two padel courts, the proposed development is estimated to cost around £8 million.

According to the planning application, the demolition of the farm maintenance workshop would make space for “the erection of a replacement two-storey building to accommodate a reception area, farm shop and village shop, spa and changing room facilities”.

Plans also include space for motorhome parking and a refurbishment to the current pub, with fourteen en-suite bedrooms and an AA rosette restaurant.

The application has so far received 72 objections and 26 comments in support.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that one objector said: “The proposed large-scale development, located at the centre of the village, is entirely out of character with the existing scale and nature of the area.

“It would dominate and overwhelm the village setting.”

Another added: “There would be a significant increase in noise and light pollution from the sports activities and activities associated with the holiday lodges.”

Residents have also raised concerns over highway safety, the risk of flooding, sewage capacity and the loss of a wildlife habitat.

Those in support of the development said they felt “lucky” to have a local business “willing to invest such a large amount into the local area”.

A decision granting planning approval is expected by the determination deadline on 2 June.

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