A bid to build a new spa and leisure facility at a South Lakes holiday park have been given the go-ahead.
Pure Leisure Ltd applied for permission for the leisure and spa building at Lakesway Holiday Home and Lodge Park, off Sampool Lane in Levens.
It would include an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi area, changing facilities, sauna/steam room, two treatment rooms, sales room, plant room and 10 extra car parking spaces.
An outdoor decking area which will overlook the existing pond on the site would also be created.
Members of Westmorland & Furness Council’s South Lakeland local area planning committee heard that it would only be used by residents of the caravan park.
The application said: “It is anticipated that new jobs will be created from the development and therefore the nearby villages, such as Levens, would also benefit from the proposal.
“In addition to this, by improving the visitor facilities on site, the site is likely to receive an increased interest in visitors looking to rent the holiday lodges and enjoy the new leisure facilities, thus widening the tourism to the area.”
The site is in a rural location where there are few roads and footpaths. But there are several public transport routes near the site which will require either a short drive or walk towards the village of Levens.
Previous plans to build a larger leisure centre on the site were approved in 2018 but the approved scheme was in a less efficient location than the new proposed building.
This plan is not for an additional building but added the previously approved scheme remained a fallback option.
The scheme proposes to use the existing access road and add 10 new car parking spaces, including two disabled bays.
The site is located near the River Kent and is in a flood risk zone two area which means there is a medium risk of flooding.
A drainage ditch is located along the western most boundary of the site and significant flood defence infrastructure was present around the site to combat this.
Levens Parish Council submitted an objection to the plans and cited concerns regarding noise and light pollution from the proposed development.
Parish councillor Kevin Holmes told the committee the primary concern of the council was vehicle access to the site which he described as inappropriate to the scale of development.
In 2019 the council approved plans from the previous owners for the siting of 30 caravans on the site, and placed a condition that stipulated that details of improvements to the informal passing place next to Levens Lane be submitted to the local planning authority.
Cllr Holmes said: “The parish council does not believe this condition has been complied with and the passing places have not been provided to the specification required.”
Councillors added a condition to this planning application for the addition of a passing place as per the 2018 planning application to be fully examined.
