A luxury Lake District hotel has lodged an appeal after its plans for detached suites and hot tubs were refused.
English Lakes Hotels submitted the appeal to the Planning Inspectorate after the Lake District National Park Authority refused plans for four detached suites in the grounds of Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa complex off Ambleside Road, near Windermere.
The firm said: “The proposals will deliver additional high-quality tourist accommodation as part of an existing tourism site.
“The proposed detached suites will deliver design excellence, in keeping with the quality of the site as a whole.
“They have been designed to integrate into the landscape and will not cause harm to any designated heritage assets, including the English Lake District World Heritage Site.”
But the Lake District National Park Authority said the development failed to reflect local character and would result in harm to the visual amenity of residents and visitors.
It added: “The proposal results in harm to the outstanding universal value of the English Lake District World Heritage Site; and harm to the special qualities of the national park, including the diverse landscape and the celebrated social and cultural heritage of the national park, including non-designated assets recorded on the Historic Environment Record.”
However, documents submitted by the firm said the site was close to existing buildings and would not represent an incongruous feature.
It added: “They would be seen as part of the wider hotel site, particularly when viewed from the footpath nearby the site, where they would be seen against the backdrop of the existing built development.”
Each suite would have featured an entrance room, bedroom and bathroom, an external covered terrace, which will include a private hot tub.
The hotel group said: “The applicant provides a significant amount of employment in the local area and therefore makes a substantial contribution to the local economy.
“The proposed development will add to the range of accommodation that is available to guests, thus enhancing the applicant’s offer.
“This will enable them to continue attracting visitors to the area, which helps to deliver a prosperous economy.”
In planning documents, the hotel said small areas of the current ecological landscape would be lost, but the plans would provide an opportunity to enhance the ecological value of the site.
It added green roofs were proposed on the detached suites which provides a further opportunity for species enhancement.
Existing mature trees will be retained with appropriate protection put in place during construction. The scheme does require the removal of a limited number of younger trees but this will be mitigated through a significant amount of tree and shrub planting.”
Lakes Parish Council previously objected to the plans as they said the proposed suites were inappropriate for the location.
The parish council said: “The units will have an unacceptable impact on the amenity of the footpath as it will change the feel and experience from walking in woodland to the introduction of visitors which brings with it extra noise, disturbances, light pollution and negative impact on the local wildlife.
“The units are completely separate from the main hotel, further overdeveloping the blueprint of the grounds, and in an area that is currently green, open nature and natural. This proposal doesn’t conserve or enhance this location.
“We feel that it is an inappropriate level of use to the location and doesn’t relate well to the main hotel.”
