Wednesday 8th February 2012 10.47am
Post your Events David Bellamy OBE Backs Plans For Waterfalls Country Estate
Dr David Bellamy OBE is supporting plans for Waterfalls Country Estate, an eco friendly, luxury holiday resort in the heart of Northumberland.
Plans for the 16 acre site, just off the A68 near Ridsdale, have now been recommended for approval and David Bellamy has written to Northumberland County Council in a letter of support about the scheme after discussing plans with Sherod Walker, the entrepreneur behind the development.
David said: “I recently had the pleasure of visiting Sherod Walker’s proposed development, Waterfalls Estate and, to coin a phrase, it is a site bursting with capabilities of the quality leisure kind. It would be a great addition to rural based tourism in Northumberland, creating jobs and the training needed to go with them, especially in these harsh economic times.
“The approach that his team has taken in the design and management of the site includes the redevelopment and rehabilitation of a range of important habitats and the philosophy of the Waterfalls Estate revolves around giving support to local businesses, schools and the local community.
“The research carried out by Sherod and his team on the environmental aspects of the development is exemplary. All forms of alternate energy, resource sustainability and waste disposal have been investigated and it is great to see that the most appropriate will be developed. It is my pleasure to support his application and, if it gets the green light, it will be one of the best things to happen in Northumberland since the Romans left the Wall.”
Sherod said: “We are absolutely delighted to have David’s backing on the plans for Waterfalls Country Estate as we very much value his opinion as a prestigious conservation campaigner and take the environmental elements of our proposals extremely seriously.
“I have spoken with David in detail regarding our plans and it was fantastic to hear how enthusiastic he is about the proposals. The scheme has now been recommended for approval by Northumberland County Council planning officers and will go to the planning committee on March 11.”
Giles Ingram, executive director for Northumberland Tourism, said: “It is fantastic that an environmental figurehead like Dr David Bellamy is supporting this development, while recognising the positive impact it will have on tourism in Northumberland. Waterfalls Country Estate will offer visitors an exceptional tourism experience when they visit the region.”
Waterfalls Country Estate will be comprised of 18 luxury chalets and three high quality holiday cottages, converted from existing stone barns. The resort will also house a pool and beauty spa, a state of the art equestrian centre and sporting facilities. Landscaping of the site will also include the construction of two habitat lakes and a moat around the leisure facility.
The site has been designed to blend in with the surrounding rural area. A key objective of the project is to achieve a zero carbon development through the use of a biomass boiler, solar thermal water heating, rainwater harvesting and a robust waste management system.
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