A new luxury hotel and business park is set to transform the historic Bretton Hall estate into a magnet for international visitors, as Wakefield Metropolitan District Council’s Planning Committee approved a planning application submitted by Bretton Investment Partnership Limited, part of the Rushbond Group.
Rushbond will forge ahead with plans to create a carefully restored, contemporary hotel, and a unique workplace destination at the site, located within the grounds of Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) which attracts more than 350,000 visitors a year.
The combined elements of the 120 bedroomed hotel and 100,000 sq ft business opportunity outlined in the planning application, set in landscaped gardens, parkland and vistas that are second-to-none, are focused on attracting businesses to Wakefield and Yorkshire and create long term, sustainable employment. Initial construction work is planned for late 2013, including the infrastructure to service the overall development, with the hotel expected to open in 2015.
Leeds-based Rushbond is working in conjunction with Wakefield architects DLA and London based hotel consultants EPR on the sympathetic refurbishment of the Grade II* listed mansion house, a superb example of Georgian architecture designed by Sir William Wentworth and Colonel James Moyser, restoring its once-spectacular interiors to create a distinctive hotel.
The new hotel will be an exceptional venue for meetings, weddings, conferences and events in the North of England; Rushbond is in talks with prospective hotel operators to deliver and manage the hotel.
The business park is the perfect location for forward-thinking companies drawn to such an inspiring setting, strategically located in between the city centre hubs of Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and York, where they can benefit from the amenities of the on site hotel, restaurant and café and 500 new parking spaces. Bretton Hall is close to rail and motorway links with easy access to the North, the Midlands and London.
Jonathan Maud, Managing Director of Rushbond Plc, said: “We now have a fantastic opportunity to breathe new life into Bretton Hall, one of Yorkshire’s most magnificent estates, for future generations to experience.
"We have been working closely alongside Wakefield Council and Yorkshire Sculpture Park on this project, with the aim of creating an exemplary leisure and business environment that will significantly add to the current offer of the Park. There is a tremendous sense of energy in the city of Wakefield and across Yorkshire that we are very excited to be a part of, and it is great news that we are about to make a shared vision a reality.”
Peter Murray, Executive Director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, said: “We are delighted Rushbond have secured the necessary permissions for their plans for a high quality hotel and new creative business spaces that secures the future use of Bretton Hall and complements Yorkshire Sculpture Park. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Rushbond to ensure all the creative opportunities from this exciting development are realised.”
Selected by Wakefield Metropolitan District Council as developer of the scheme, award-winning Rushbond has a 25 year history of delivering high quality, imaginative projects, and specialising in the restoration and refurbishment of listed historic buildings, current projects with listed buildings include: the refurbishment of the former Majestic cinema in City Square Leeds to new leisure and retail destination; the conversion of Crispin House Leeds to provide 82 loft style apartments; the refurbishment of former Belle Vue Mills Skipton to provide 80,000 sq ft offices including new headquarters for Craven and North Yorkshire Councils; and the refurbishment of the former Alf Cooke Printworks in Leeds to provide a new campus for Leeds City College.
Wakefield benefits not only from the cultural draw of YSP, but also The Hepworth Wakefield which has attracted more than 500,000 visitors since opening in 2011, more than five times the projected number. Alongside Leeds Art Gallery and Henry Moore Institute, these national art institutions form the recently announced ‘Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle’, backed by Welcome to Yorkshire.
Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, adds: "This is great news for Wakefield and for Yorkshire. The hotel's unique position within the grounds of the internationally acclaimed Yorkshire Sculpture Park will make it an attractive proposition in its own right and will further enhance the county's reputation as a destination of choice for discerning leisure and business travellers."
Cllr Peter Box, Leader of Wakefield Council, said he was delighted. “A new hotel and business park at Bretton will be a big boost to the local economy, creating jobs and adding a new attraction to our already strong tourism base. I look forward to seeing this ambitious project get off the ground as soon as possible.”