Fury in popular UK seaside town as gigantic luxury resort gets the go-ahead

A luxury resort has been given the green light in a popular UK seaside town – despite outrage from locals.

The 400-lodge luxury resort on over 70 hectares of agricultural land has been approved with building to commence on the outskirts of Newquay.

Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee gave approval to Kingsley Leisure Developments on November 21 to build the Green Ridge Resort which will be built on land near Colan and Quintrell Downs. 

But The Green Ridge Resort will include roughly 250 of the properties to be used as holiday homes and it has caused anger from many of those living nearby.

One resident of the area where the development is mooted spoke to The Packet and said: “With the recent closure of the luxury holiday resort in St Ives [Una at Carbis Bay] we are keen to highlight the obvious lack of need for this kind of development,” reports CornwallLive. 

Abe Simpson, of Kingsley Leisure developers previously stated that the resort’s aim is not to replicate existing holiday parks, but to create a new style of holiday destination for Cornwall.

Jonathan Lambe, of Lambe Planning and Design, was speaking on behalf of local objectors in a two-and-a-half-hour debate at County Hall/Lys Kernow in Truro and said: “This will result in an unacceptable impact on the landscape, heritage assets, ecology and local community.”

He added: “The economic benefits claimed are not achievable as these holiday homes would not have a constant turnover of weekly lets. It is likely they’d only be occupied for short weekend breaks and during school holidays.

“Visit Cornwall has severe concerns, stating that the local market was already largely saturated.”

However around 350 people previously objecting to this proposal on the council’s online planning portal.

This new sustainable woodland resort looks to create a new type of holiday destination in Cornwall with a host of added features including an indoor activity centre, a swimming pool, spa and food and beverage outlets.

And those behind the scheme say that building in the woodland environment ensures to “encompass a holistic approach to sustainability”. 

The resort will also have a number of outdoor activities including a water park, splash park, playground, dog walking trail, walking trails and seasonal outdoor events areas with a series of permanent lakes also constructed.

According to one report, the new resort would be the equal of a “moderate-sized Cornish village”.

Lambe added: “Support should be given to existing holiday parks to upgrade and restructure, and not the creation of a vast new holiday park in the open countryside. This proposal will undermine the existing holiday parks and lead to saturation and cannibalisation through business displacement.

“This proposal will have a catastrophic impact on the landscape, overwhelm local amenities, shatter peace and tranquillity and destroy the very reason holidaymakers visit this area.”