Campaigners are holding a protest rally against plans for a proposed water park resort near several Derbyshire villages over fears it will pose increased traffic problems and environmental harm to the region alongside a massive housing development.

Great Lakes UK Ltd And Waystone Ltd have submitted a planning application to Bolsover District Council for a Great Wolf Resorts’ indoor water park and resort on land south of Worksop Road, at Whitwell Common, on the edge of Clowne, while the authority is also close to finalising developer Waystone Ltd’s approved outline planning permission for the Clowne Garden Village housing scheme for 1,800 homes.

But campaign group, Say NO to the Wolf, is holding a rally on Saturday, April 18, at Gapsick Lane near the proposed greenfield site which lies south of Springfield Farm at the corner of Gapsick Lane and Worksop Road to coincide with the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s nationwide call for campaigns to rally on issues where there are perceived threats to rural environments.

Say No to the Wolf campaigner Jane Shelton said: “We, the locals, will not be the beneficiaries of this proposed development but will have to endure it for the benefit of people arriving from up to three hours’ drive away and stopping on average one-and-a-half nights in a self-contained resort.”

The proposal for a Great Wolf Lodge water park resort planned for 19.3hectares of agricultural land between Barlborough, Clowne and Whitwell could feature a hotel, a water park, an adventure park, conference facilities, restaurants and staff accommodation with associated access, parking and landscaping. 

Clowne Garden Village Action Group campaigners, opposed to the separate Waystones Ltd housing scheme have already raised hundreds of concerns about overcrowding in the area, the impact on highways and the environment, flooding and the loss of some Green Belt land, and they fear any additional developments including the water park could have a further combined detrimental effect for the region’s highways and environment. 

The Say No to the Wolf group, which attracted over 250 residents to its latest meeting, has also raised fears about the combined impact of the two schemes claiming the water park’s progress will rely heavily on the housing scheme which has been disputed by the council and Great Wolf who have argued the two sets of plans are separate and being addressed independently.   

Ms Shelton argued that for the water park to be sustainable it relies heavily on the Clowne Garden Village scheme which has been granted planning permission by the council and has survived a bid for a judicial review based on concerns for the region’s highways and environment which was rejected but Clowne Garden Village Action Group campaigner Dom Webb is formally appealing against this decision on April 22. 

Say No to the Wolf claims the region will be subjected to a different groups of motorists every few days with the majority using the M1 motorway combining with increased traffic from the Clowne Garden Village and other housing developments which it argues will all be contrary to the council’s Local Plan by causing what it claims will be significant harm to the character, quality and distinctiveness of the landscape. 

Ms Shelton fears the resort will also cause light pollution affecting nocturnal wildlife and that the the American Lodge aesthetic of the resort’s design will alter the identity of the area. 

She also claims any construction employment for the scheme will only provide a negligible local benefit, that any new staff positions at the resort will be mainly for lower skilled and lower paid employees, and that most visitor spending will only take place at the resort. 

Ms Shelton added: “Considering all the above, and with the lack of benefits around jobs and spending, a poor decision on this will change the lay of the land, environment and habitat forever and leave the area with a lasting legacy of ‘American Tourism’ for which Bolsover District Council will be both responsible and remembered for.” 

Clowne Parish Council has objected to the scheme based on its scale, feared noise, disturbance, overdevelopment, highways safety and increased traffic with a suspected lack of local economic benefit alongside concerns for drainage and flood risks as well as its impact on the environment. 

Whitwell Parish Council also objected to the scheme ‘ in the strongest terms’ on the grounds of its scale and because it feels the applicant has not researched the area and that the proposal is fundamentally inappropriate for the location and conflicts with both the National Planning Policy Framework and the adopted Bolsover Local Plan.

Great Wolf Resorts, which is described as North America’s leading brand for family resorts, hopes its scheme may create about 600 jobs and attract visitors to the area with possible ‘day passes’ previously proposed for residents to access facilities without having to book accommodation. 

Planning documents state the scheme has the potential to result in significant direct investment in the area and to serve as a positive catalyst for future development. 

Great Wolf Resorts has said the scheme could deliver significant economic, social and environmental benefits for the area and it estimates that the increased number of visitors if the proposed development gets the go-ahead would lead to £1m of additional spend per year to the area. 

However Clowne Garden Village Action Group has already argued a proposed Treble Bob roundabout scheme may not be enough to cope with thousands of new motorists from the Clowne Garden Village or with any additional developments including nearby Creswell which some believe could have a combined detrimental effect for the region’s highways. 

The Treble Bob Roundabout – named after the nearby Harvester Treble Bob restaurant – is off Oxcroft Way, the A619 Chesterfield Road, and the A616 to Junction 30 of the M1 motorway, and it sees busy traffic movements between Clowne and Barlborough and the M1 motorway and some already regard it as dangerous. 

Great Wolf has stressed its plans for a resort near Clowne have nothing to do with Clowne Garden Village and it is not reliant on the housing scheme, however campaigners still suspect plans for a nearby water park resort in Derbyshire have been influenced by the approved Clowne Village Garden scheme. 

And despite concerns that such developments may create traffic problems, Great Wolf stated this will not be the case as guests tend to arrive gradually at different times rather than all together. 

Campaigners still fear the two projects may lead to combined environmental impacts with an increase in traffic despite a recent legal finding prior to the submission of an application that there was no need for the council to assess the cumulative impact of the proposed water park when considering the Clowne Garden Village plans as a judge refused a judicial review into the housing scheme. 

But Bolsover District Council, which has helped publicise public exhibitions and consultation events into Great Wolf’s plans, has insisted the timing of the proposed location for a new multi-million pound leisure resort on the outskirts of Clowne has not been influenced by plans for the Clowne Garden Village housing scheme.   

Great Wolf has been reviewing multiple potential locations in the UK and claims these resorts will provide hundreds of permanent jobs and bring a world-class leisure facility to the region, attracting tourists and investment.

The company has argued that most families will travel from neighbouring areas and stay overnight so its choice of location is more focused on accessibility and is not related to or dependent on the proposed future Clowne Garden Village. 

It added that its resorts operate like a hotel rather than a traditional British holiday park, with no set change-over-days, arrival windows or departure times for guests which helps to reduce traffic levels. 

A Great Wolf spokesperson said: “Given the arrival flexibility, detailed traffic studies and reports indicate that even during what is historically our peak arrival time, there would only be an additional two cars per minute – resulting in a negligible impact on the environment. 

“Our modelling included all motorways and roads leading to and from our resort, and importantly we conducted all our traffic surveys during Derbyshire school term times so they would fully represent normal patterns of traffic.  We deliberately avoided school holiday periods. 

“The traffic surveys were scoped with Derbyshire County Highways and National Highways and follow standard industry practice and guidelines. 

“Our resort primarily attracts family groups who will car share, but we also intend to operate a minibus service from local stations to our resort for guests and staff.” 

Great Wolf stated East Midlands Railways has encouraged the minibus service to promote use of the railways and proposals also include active travel with footway improvements across the area for pedestrians, cyclists and other forms of non-automated travel. 

The company also explained that it aims to rewild 5.7 hectares to the west of the development site and there are plans to plant thousands of trees on the development site with improvements to hedgerows around the periphery . 

A Great Wolf spokesperson said: “As such, we shall be promoting a better environment for wildlife to flourish than exists in the agricultural fields today and our ecologists have demonstrated that there is a significant biodiversity net gain over the current situation. 

“Furthermore, the rewilded land provides an opportunity to improve the environs of the public right of way and permissive paths on the 5.7ha that the community will be able to enjoy and local schools and nature groups as well the Great Wolf guests can explore and enjoy.” 

Great Wolf also argued that the scheme will generate an average of 240 site-based roles each day and will be seeking support from local contractors and tradesmen not only during the construction but also once the resort opens for building maintenance. 

A Great Wolf spokesperson added: “Once the resort opens, we will be providing approximately 600 jobs of which around 450 will be full time positions. 

“The roles will be across all departments and will certainly include managerial and skilled jobs for professionals as well as providing more roles in food and beverage, retail, attractions, and aquatics. 

“We will also have a significant need for support industries and from other local businesses to further support our operations and this will likely also lead to additional indirect employment opportunities. 

“Great Wolf will also partner with local schools and colleges to provide opportunities for apprenticeships, work placements and experiences that allow young people to make the transition from education to employment.”

Great Wolf has estimated that the construction labour force will spend £165,000 per year in the area and it has predicted that its workforce will spend around £200,000 per annum in the area. 

The company also expects guests to generate £1m of additional spend outside of the resort and in the area and it claims the council is likely to receive business rates contributions of over a £1m and that other tax revenues collected by HMRC could amount to £7.5m per annum. 

A planned family entertainment centre is also to be made available to everyone as part of the scheme including for guests, the community or tourists not staying at the resort, according to Great Wolf, with day passes for the community on days when occupancy permits it.   

Council Leader, Cllr Yates, has said the water park scheme is an exciting project and one of the council’s key priorities is growth with the creation of jobs and this proposal not only meets this but will provide leisure opportunities. 

During the separate Clowne Garden Village planning process, a consultation attracted at least 1,400 comments and the Clowne Garden Village Action Group’s membership grew to over 2,000 people and its online and paper petitions attracted over 6,000 signatures from residents opposed to the housing scheme.

By JON COOPER (Local Democracy Reporter)