Pirate ship hotel sails through planning

The £3.8m construction of two hotels, themed around a pirate ship and fairytale castle, at Gulliver’s World in Warrington has been approved.

Consultancy County Planning submitted the plans for the 2.4-acre site, known as Wilderness Wharf, on behalf of Gulliver’s Theme Parks & Leisure Resorts at the start of this year.

The four linked planning applications cover the construction of the two hotels, as well as a change of use of land for 33 holiday lodges and the building of a themed village resort complex.

Set within a landscaped area, the hotels will provide suites, family rooms and a village resort with a café, craft centre, children’s indoor play centre and crèche, guest reception and housekeeping facilities.

Dan Matthewman, director of County Planning, said: “This was a complex suite of applications owing to multiple uses, which required us to engage in detail with the council’s planning and environmental health officers. Effective community engagement meant there were no public objections received to the applications and we achieved approval within 10 weeks, with all planning conditions agreed in advance. It’s an exciting time for Warrington.”

A public consultation was held in October 2018 where concerns were raised over the possibility of increased traffic. The planning application was supported by SCP Transport, who resolved highway officer objections and demonstrated that the impact of traffic was indiscernible, even during peak hours.

Building work is expected to begin shortly and will be completed within three years.