Plans have been submitted for holiday lodges at Aqueduct Marina near Nantwich which would create 14 new jobs, writes Belinda Ryan.
Church Minshull Aqueduct Marina Limited has applied to Cheshire East Council for permission to change the use of agricultural land so up to 29 holiday lodges and a manager’s cabin can be provided on the site.
The application also includes the creation of four ponds together with internal access roads and associated parking and storage.
The application site consists of two fields which form part of the wider Aqueduct Marina and Caravan Park, which is on the Shropshire Union Canal.
A planning statement submitted by PMV Planning on behalf of the applicant states: “The marina business offers the highest quality mooring, maintenance and chandlery services and includes 150 berths for narrowboats, a 14-pitch caravan site, boat repair workshops, storage space/pitches for boats and caravans, a chandlery, boat sales agency and a café as part of its comprehensive leisure offer.”
It adds: “The 29 lodges will provide short break self-catering accommodation for recreational holiday purposes which will be available for use all year around to guests visiting the area on a short break holiday basis.
“The lodges will be designed and marketed as ‘top end’ quality, each with its own hot tub and will be fully equipped with kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, dining and lounge areas with the addition of a decking area for outdoor living.
“Each lodge will also have its own parking bay and will be pet friendly.”
The planning document says the existing café and licensed bar at the site will be available for all mealtimes, also offering a takeaway and delivery service option to the lodges.
The marina business currently employs 30 full-time staff, and the lodge proposal would create an additional 14 full and part-time local jobs.
The new roles would include management, housekeeping, maintenance, and food and beverage related.
The statement says: “The proposal to provide high quality self-catering holiday accommodation is both ancillary and essential to the sustainable diversification of an existing family-run rural business in direct response to an identified need and demand within the tourist market.
“It will therefore allow the business to remain competitive and viable as a leisure provider so that it can continue, and significantly boost, its direct and indirect contribution to the local rural economy.
“The sensitively designed proposals, construction methods and landscaping scheme will provide a high-quality environment that ensures there will be no harm to the surrounding countryside, instead enhancing both its amenity and ecological value.”
The application, number 24/4617, can be viewed on the planning portal on Cheshire East Council website.
(pic from Google maps)
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