PLANS to extend a luxury lodge park have been given the thumbs up.

South Lakeland District Council has passed plans to extend Doe Wood Lodges near Ulverston by 50 additional pitches.

Colt Park Farm at Aldingham put forward plans to SLDC in January for the extension. However, SLDC refused the application in May on the grounds that the extension would ‘represent an unsustainable form of development.’

Undeterred, the owner of Doe Wood Lodges re-submitted an application with a number of concessions, including: the site area being reduced by half, the number of pitches being slashed by 34 and the access arrangement altered.

The new plans were approved by the planning committee.

A spokesman for principal planner of the development Graham Anthony Associates said: “The owners have been inundated with enquiries over the last five months, the likes of which they have never experienced in the park’s history.

"The devastating impacts of the Coronavirus have caused lots of individuals, particularly families, to rethink their summer holiday plans and more significantly their weekend city breaks. This presents a completely unique opportunity for businesses such as Doe Wood to target an entirely new client base, one that would never have previously considered a rural holiday.

“This shift in holiday demand is particularly exciting for the coastal community surrounding Doe Wood, which can get overlooked in favour of the more quintessential tourism hotspots in the nearby National Park. We are sure that the guests that do visit will fall in love with the areas stunning coastline, hopefully securing repeat trips for years to come.”

According to the planning documents, the extra caravan spaces would mean the creation of two to three full-time jobs, an additional £98,490 for the local economy per year, £350,000 capital investment into the local construction industry and an increase use of local transport services.

The document also explains how the development would help to rebalance the tourism economy, focus on the Morecambe Bay Estuary, provide provision of much-needed touring holiday pitches; and give support for an existing business which has over 13 years trading experience.

The online application states: “As this proposal is for an extension to an existing, well established caravan park, it is considered that the proposal would contribute to the existing business and the local economy.”