A major multi-million pound expansion is being planned by a Suffolk holiday getaway loved by celebrities.
Wilderness Reserve, which already stretches over 8,000 acres of the east of the county near Saxmundham, is planning to more than double its accommodation by adding a further 250 bedrooms in sensitively-restored historic properties, including a new country house hotel.
READ MORE: Jack Whitehall returns to 'most incredible' Wilderness Reserve
The project, which has seen a huge swathe of Suffolk’s countryside and buildings around Sibton and Heveningham carefully restored and conserved, will add the Cockfield Hall estate, near Yoxford, to its accommodation portfolio.
Celebrities to have stayed at Wilderness Reserve include singer Cheryl and her co-stars in Girls Aloud to celebrate her 40th birthday, actor and comedian Jack Whitehall, YouTuber Zoella, TV presenters Marvin and Rochelle Humes and comedian Sandi Toksvig.
Cockfield Hall and its associated buildings, which sit in 363 acres and is home to artist Laurence Edwards’ 26ft statue The Yoxman alongside the A12, are described as “currently underutilised and in sparse use as residential accommodation, offices, and storage space”.
READ MORE: Why are celebrities so fond of this rural Suffolk holiday retreat?
It is proposed to convert the Grade I-listed Cockfield Hall, which dates back to the mid 16th century, and its associated historic buildings into a “high-quality hotel” with new woodland and pasture and lakes.
The project will create 250 new bedrooms – 50 of them in the hotel – in 50 lodges and ancillary buildings.
Employees will be housed in a development of homes totalling 100 bedrooms on the former 11-acre Darsham Nurseries site next to Darsham rail station, along with some retail or commercial development, such as a farmers’ market or café.
Cockfield Hall Estate is also planning a further bonus for the community with a makeover for the Griffin pub in Yoxford to ensure its long-term viability – including a modern open public bar to improve the character and atmosphere and private dining rooms in a stable block.
Planning and design consultancy Boyer, representing Wilderness Reserve (Suffolk), said “the reinvigorated landscape setting, will facilitate a high-end tourism and leisure offer and ensure year-round use”.
Boyer said: "The proposed conversion to and creation of additional tourism accommodation will sit comfortably with the existing Wilderness Reserve and add to this existing tourism offer.
"Being tourism-led, the development at Cockfield Hall would not add additional pressure on education or health care services and the proposed additional visitors will positively support existing services and facilities, such as shops and the Griffin public house.
"Whilst the staff accommodated on the former Darsham Nurseries site may introduce slight additional pressure on health care services, such impacts would be relatively minor and could be addressed through planning obligations on any future application, to be assessed in due course.
READ MORE: Cheryl spotted celebrating birthday in Saxmundham in Suffolk
“Overall, the development at Cockfield Hall Estate and the former Darsham Nurseries will bring economic benefits to the local area and will be beneficial for the village’s vitality and viability. It is therefore considered that the effect on existing land use is a positive one.”
An application has been made to East Suffolk Council to see if the authority needs an Environmental Impact Assessment submitted ahead of a planning application.
Work on the main part of the project – the hall conversion – is expected to start in 2025 and take four years.
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