Green light given to major holiday park development

The green light has been given to a hybrid planning application for a major holiday park development in Widdrington, which is expected to bring £7-8m in visitor spend each year to the local economy.Callaly Leisure, which is a family run company that currently owns and manages two holiday caravan parks in the north of England, submitted the proposals for Chevington Castle Holiday Park, set to be situated on an approximately 256-acre site, east of Widdrington Moor.The detailed element of the application includes 200 pitches for touring units in the south west corner of the site, accompanied by all-weather plots, electric hook up points and a heated toilet, shower and laundry block. 275 pitches for static caravans will also be provided further north.The main site entrance would be to the south of the site from the C115 road, providing a gateway feature in the design of a castle, with an entry road system that would separate static caravan users from the touring units.An outdoor play area would be located to the north of the main building, with visitor parking located to the west of the entrance. Additionally, an existing lake on the site will house water based adventure activities, while a small beach area will also be created at the south western corner of the lake.The outline element of the application includes provision for a café located at the north east corner of Widdrington Moor Lake, accommodation for up to 475 units, a nine-hole golf course and potentially a second entertainment building.It is expected that the park will create around 100 full time and 30 part time jobs, a number of indirect and spin off jobs and approximately 43,000 additional overnight visitors per annum to the local area. Northumberland County Council has given the plans the seal of approval, subject to conditions.