£9.5 million luxury holiday village for Skegness - to bring year-round employment

A major £9.5 million project to create a luxury holiday village in Ingoldmells along the coast aims to attract new visitors for generations to come.
Plans for a new £9.5m luxury holiday village in Ingoldmells have been submitted. Photo: Supplied by Stuart Hardy from a summary document.Plans for a new £9.5m luxury holiday village in Ingoldmells have been submitted. Photo: Supplied by Stuart Hardy from a summary document.
Plans for a new £9.5m luxury holiday village in Ingoldmells have been submitted. Photo: Supplied by Stuart Hardy from a summary document.

The 10-year development is the brainchild of the owners of Hardys Animal Farm, who have come up with a plan to create a flagship holiday centre including low-density accommodation, a 40-bed hotel, a family pub, petrol station, and leisure facilities with gym and swimming pool, all set in beautifully landscaped woodland with lakes, wildlife trails, a cross-country park and paths through to the beach.

In addition the current traffic light controlled junction at the end of Anchor Lane will be moved to join the existing Addlethorpe bypass traffic lights to improve traffic flow on the A52; the footpath alongside it will be extended, linking Chapel St Leonards to Ingoldmells; and there will be also be links to the coastal path for cyclists and walkers. .

Development of the 206-acre site, incorporating a wetlands nature reserve and stables, is on land adjoining Grays Farm on Anchor Lane and the development is expected to create more than 100 jobs and generate over £13.2 million per year for the local economy in visitor spend.

Director Stuart Hardy said they are very excited that after months of work, the development is ready to be considered by East Lindsey’s planning committee.

He said: “We are aiming to cater for the increased needs and higher expectations now demanded by customers in the 21st century. Sports facilities, including a gym, swimming pool and riding school, along with wildlife trails and footpaths will be available for use by visitors and locals alike.

“Great efforts have also been taken to try to provide year round employment for local people, while improving traffic flows on the A52 and screening the development with deep native wooded buffers to provide transit corridors through the site for wildlife.”

A hybrid application will be considered by East Lindsey District Council next month for the outline erection of a petrol filling station, a hotel, a family pub, a fast food outlet, a business centre, and a visitor centre and sales area for the sales of static caravans and associated items, sports facilities and reception. In addition there is a full application for the change of use of land for holiday accommodation in the form of 449 static caravan plots, 30 lodges, camping pitches, about 540 touring caravan pitches, excavation of lakes and the provision of a cross country course.

The plan has already won support from parish councils in Ingoldmells and Addlethorpe, with only Chapel St Leonards opposing it on the grounds of ‘insufficient infrastructure to support this kind of development’.

Lincolnshire County Council’s Executive Councillor for Development Coun Colin Davie said: “The county council has been spending the past four years trying to find new ways to encourage the private sector to invest and create new facilities on the Lincolshire coast. This proposal is a clear indication that the private sector is stepping up to the plate to create a 21st century coastline that we all can be proud of.”

The site has been designed with eight units - either lodges or mobile homes - per acre compared to 22 to an acre which for years has been the norm on many parks in the area.

Mr Hardy said: “With this proposal we have an opportunity to create a flagship development which will encourage other operators within the area to redevelop and improve quality across the resort, not to mention the chance to provide a facility that will be amongst the best laid out and least densely populated in the county.”