CS Hotel Solutions has submitted two planning applications to Sefton Council with a third to follow shortly to transform the four-star resort which covers 200 acres. Tony McDonough reports
Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa has revealed multi-million pound plans to expand its hotel, add a new golf clubhouse and event space and build 22 ‘eco-lodges’.
CS Hotel Solutions has submitted two planning applications to Sefton Council with a third to follow shortly to transform the four-star resort which covers 200 acres on the North West’s ‘Golf Coast’.
Formby Hall already features two golf courses of 18 and nine holes, a 27-bay driving range, a golf shop, health spa, and a 76-bed hotel.
It is home to the first PGA National Residential Golf Academy in the UK – centres of excellence for golf, which offer teaching and coaching facilities with accommodation, and is the only one in the North of England.
The proposal will see a new-build extension to the existing hotel; a new golf clubhouse and event space for more than 300 guests, an extension to its restaurant, and a re-configured leisure club and spa, plus 22 eco-lodges located within the resort grounds.
An additional 63 hotel rooms will be created, with a two-storey wing proposed to be built on the existing overspill car park, which will feature 43 en-suite rooms with balconies or patios, while the first floor of the existing health club and spa building will be converted to provide a further 20 rooms.
A new spa is proposed for nearby the 10th hole fairway lake, which is designed to be a key attraction for the resort, and will include a number of treatment rooms and relaxation areas with lakeside views, a thermal suite, saunas and hot tubs, indoor and outdoor vitality pools, and a bistro with external terrace.
The hotel’s existing overspill car park is proposed to become the resort’s main parking facility with a capacity of 439 vehicles, including accessible spaces.
The proposal also includes the development of a small number of residential properties on a site containing a number of existing buildings used for storage purposes.
Christopher King, director of CS Hotel Solutions, said: “The proposed plans, if approved, will deliver a step change in the quality and range of accommodation available at Formby Hall enabling it to compete with other destination resorts across the UK.
“The development will draw a greater number of business and leisure visitors to the resort, benefitting the borough and further region whilst meeting the significant need for additional high quality hotel accommodation within the world-renowned Merseyside Golf Coast.”