Plans to turn former chicken farm in Harborough district into holiday resort with 90 lakeside lodges

Plans are in the pipeline to turn a former chicken farm into 90 lakeside holiday lodges and ‘tourist facility’.

The application has been submitted to Harborough District Council by Brayden James Developments Ltd.

If given the green light it would see 90 holiday lodges built on Launde Road – around one and half miles from Tilton on the Hill village. Access to the site – which is around the size of 40 football pitches - would be from Oakham Road.

Along with the lodges, developers hope to build hubs for sports, wellness and food. It would include bike rental, a welcome building, restaurant, café and a health and fitness centre.

While the lodges would be aimed at walking and cycling holidaymakers, the rest of the site could also be used by locals.

The one to three-bed detached lodges would be created across two zones – one ‘social’ and a second ‘private’ zone, with the latter built around man-made lakes. Each lodge would include a private terrace with greenery screening it from the other accommodation.

Visitors would leave vehicles on outskirts of the site, on a car park with 120 spaces. They would then collect keys from the nearby welcome building – also containing a bike rental and grocery store - and have their luggage delivered to their lodge by staff driving an electric golf buggy-type vehicle.

An electric van would also be available for drops and collections from Tilton, Oakham and Leicester.

There would be a café and restaurant building, also including a stage for live music and events. Developers say it could be used as an open air venue. There would also be the capacity for weekly visits from food vans.

A health and fitness building would be an additional ‘attraction’ and include a sport and leisure centre. There would also be an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, gym, indoor tennis court, wellness studios and a café. There are also plans to refurbish the existing barn and turn it into squash courts or a petting farm.

A three-bed gatehouse would also be built on the site, and staffed 24 hours a day. There would also be eight staff studio accommodations for full time employees.

Developers say they have planned the site to enhance the area’s natural character and habitats with new trees, hedges and wildflower meadows planted between facilities.

They added there is high demand for tourist accommodation, and the site would boost visitors to local businesses and demand for local products. There would also be ten full-time jobs and five part-time jobs created.

The planning application reads: “The proposal aims to deliver 90 high-quality lodges and a number of leisure facilities, prioritising biodiversity enhancement.

“The development's requirements dictate a countryside location and the commitment to environmental preservation guarantees minimal impact on the surrounding countryside.

“The design choices reflect an intention to preserve the site's local character, ensuring pleasant views from both the street and the surrounding countryside. Overall, the scheme aims to create a biodiverse and landscape-led tourist facility.”