Hospitality group Ramside Estates has unveiled ambitious plans for a £13m expansion of a County Durham hotel.
The company – owner and operator of Ramside Hall Hotel and Golf Club, Hardwick Hall, Bowburn Hall as well as leisure venues around the region – has already made significant investmen into its properties in recent years, including the launch of luxury treehouses. The group, which also owns The Fed, Colonel Porters and The Impeccable Pig, first revealed ambitions for expansion in its latest accounts, when it outlined plans for further developments to make the business more of a resort.
Now the firm has submitted plans to create a luxury spa and health club and additional 35 bedrooms at Hardwick Hall Hotel near Sedgefield. If it secures permission, work will begin late next year. The new scheme will rejuvenate buildings that have been derelict for more than 60 years, while also creating or sustaining 140 temporary construction jobs and 63 new full and part jobs once completed.
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The spa development will include a 25m swimming pool, a gym, aerobics studio, spa bath house, thermal suite a swim in/swim out pool and spa garden. It will also offer 13 treatment rooms, relaxation areas, changing facilities and a restaurant with private dining options.
The application includes a proposal for an additional 35 bedrooms which will be built on two storeys in the style of a coach house around a courtyard, which will also house the main spa pool.
There will be 33 premier rooms, with Juliet balconies on the upper level and private garden space for the ground floor along with two large suites.
John Adamson, owner of Ramside Estates, believes the scheme will be a huge boost not just for the hotel but for the area.
He said: “The proposed development supports Visit County Durham ambition to increase the visitor economy while also adding to more beds for visitors to the county. It will be a flagship development for the area which will absolutely create more awareness and drive more visitors which is positive not just for the hotel but for the county as a whole.
“We look forward to Durham County Council giving it the green light so we can get started on bringing something really exceptional to the area.”
