Green light for Gulliver’s

A 14-acre extension to the Gulliver’s World resort in Warrington has been approved, allowing the operator to build out woodland-based accommodation.

Warrington Council’s planning committee has now consented the plans that came forward in autumn last year as the Woodland Retreat, an expansion project that will include a spa, woodland lodges, group accommodation, woodland walks, a camping meadow and an activity zone.

Also included in the plans is a new base for staff training and administrative support.

The development will expand on the existing accommodation at Gulliver’s World Theme Park Resort but will operate under the Gulliver’s Glades brand, with a focus on providing holidays in a woodland setting.

County Planning was engaged as planning consultant. Director Dan Matthewman said: “It’s a huge success to achieve approval – the level of public interest in the proposals has been substantial. We’ve worked tirelessly with the project team and council officers to achieve a scale and mix of development that respects the surrounding area. This is an important development for Gulliver’s, but also for the whole town.”

Julie Dalton, managing director of Gulliver’s World, added: “The pandemic has been a challenging time for our operations. Social distancing measures look set to be in place for some time yet and being able to provide visiting families with clean self-contained accommodation is a really important part of our business plan.”

Gulliver’s hopes to start construction in spring 2021.