Rejection for Barrow’s 233-lodge eco retreat
Applicant ILM Group will need to try again to convince Westmorland and Furness’s councillors to accept its proposal after they decided the scheme would have a detrimental impact on surrounding wildlife.
The plan is to build a resort comprised of 233 eco-lodges alongside staff accommodation and a residential student training academy on the land off Hawthwaite Lane at Roanhead Farm, north of Barrow-in-Furness.
However, the 133-acre site is located close to a range of protected areas, part of its appeal for the applicants, but a cause of concern for Westmorland and Furness’s planning committee.
The application drew more than 10,000 objections from local residents, while at the committee, discussion between councillors and officers was back and forth.
Morecambe Bay and Duddon Estuary Special Protection Area, Duddon Estuary Ramsar site, and Morecambe Bay Special Area of Conservation could be under threat, according to a report submitted by officers, who had recommended rejection.
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Within the proposed scheme, lodges would surround a ‘resort core’, which would host indoor and outdoor leisure facilities, a central welcome area with an F&B offer, and ancillary operational zones for staff.
Guests would have access to a resort gym, indoor pool, and a health and beauty-focused spa complex.
In total amenity space would cover 128,100 sq ft. Fazackerley Design is the scheme’s architect alongside masterplanner designTM.
In addition, plans include a residential student training academy and a coastal ecology field study centre.
Plans for the scheme have already been scaled back once, with ILM’s original application seeking permission for a 45o-lodge scheme.
To view the application, use the planning reference number B06/2024/0024 in Westmorland and Furness Council’s planning portal.
