Plans for new eco-friendly leisure and tourist hub near Oulton featuring lodges and wedding facility submitted to Leeds City Council

The plan is for the hub to be the result of a transformation of a former oil depot and storage facility, and for it to feature lodges, a wedding and conference facility, and a community building and café.

The planning application has been submitted by site owners Ashcourt Group and follows a public consultation which showed support from over three quarters or respondents, with the new community facilities and green spaces among the welcomed aspects. One respondent said: “I am supportive of the plans to develop an under-utilised site which detracts from the otherwise very pleasant canal area.”

Ashcourt Group claim that if they secure planning permission, the proposals will create around 25 jobs in hospitality and the general running of the leisure hub. There are 40-eco lodges included in the plans, with the property sizes including one, two and four bedrooms. All would be built using locally sourced materials where possible, Ashcourt Group have said.

The wedding venue, which can also be used as a conference facility, would cater for up to 120 guests and would expect around 35 weddings per year. The plan also outlines that visitors could explore seven acres of landscaped gardens with natural pathways connecting to the surrounding environment.

Among the sustainable measures featured in the plan is extensive planting for wildlife and biodiversity. The site transformation will include upgraded access and road surface treatment on Fleet Lane, as well as additional visitor parking spaces on-site.

An Ashcourt Group spokesperson said “We are delighted by the sustained community support for these plans which would repurpose this underutilised brownfield industrial site into an eco-led leisure hub with new jobs, facilities and open space for the wider community to enjoy.

“It is clear that the majority of local residents welcome this scheme and the economic benefits it will bring. We have carefully considered all replies and provided comment addressing concerns around highways, green belt, and construction which we hope will see an overwhelming majority in favour of the plans”.