Plans for a £30m wellness resort near King’s Lynn with 154 holiday homes have been criticised by the highways department.
Norfolk County Council’s highways team has objected to the plans for the resort in a flooded former quarry, saying they have “significant shortcomings”.
The highways department told planners at King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council it was worried about site access and the additional traffic the development would bring to the rural roads in the area.
Norfolk Farm Leisure has applied to build the holiday resort at Ashwicken Lake on the restored former mineral extraction site.
Called Ashwicken Lake Wellness Resort, the scheme would have 154 units of holiday accommodation, including lodges, treehouses, villas and lakeside apartments. It would also have a central wellness hub and clubhouse, and offer paddleboarding, canoeing, wild swimming, forest walks, wellness activities and rowing.
Norfolk highways added: “The site is remote for sustainable transport options. The submission indicates that approximately 290 full-time equivalent staff would work a range of shifts, with around 90 staff on site at any one time, and that approximately 20 office-based staff would travel on the highway network during peak periods.”
The highways team asked how staff travel would be managed “at such a remote site”.
Norfolk County Council’s engineer for major development Victoria Buckingham said: “In the meantime, given the inadequacy of the information supplied, the highway authority has a holding highway objection.”
Residents recently voiced concerns about the potential traffic and disruption at a public meeting earlier this week at Leziate Village Hall.
A planning statement submitted to King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council says: “The Ashwicken Lake Wellness Resort represents a flagship opportunity to provide sustainable rural tourism accommodation in West Norfolk.
“It supports the rural economy, addresses local tourism demand, and integrates design excellence with environmental net gain.”
It adds that it would create jobs and provide an estimated £8m boost to the local economy, as well as significantly enhancing the biodiversity of the site.
Original plans were submitted in 2021 but were later withdrawn following concerns and technical feedback, with the revised scheme removing floating lodges and moving development out of higher-risk flood areas.
West Norfolk council will consider the plans and decide about whether the new resort can be built.
