Plans submitted for extra holiday lodges at Mercia Marina

Plans to build 13 more holiday lodges at Mercia Marina have been submitted.

The popular inland marina, near Willington, which also serves as a shopping, boating and eating venue, is already home to 32 holiday lodges.

Now, in plans submitted to South Derbyshire District Council by site owners Madecorn Leisure LLP, the site could be set to gain a further 13 lodges, which would match the style of those already on site.

The district council will make a decision in the next few months.

If approved, the new lodges would sit to the north of the site, furthest away from the entrance on what is currently car parking and grassland alongside the A50.

Car parking for the proposed lodges would be allocated to the right of the site – which is on the Trent and Mersey Canal – while an earth mound or bund would be extended alongside the A50 to screen the lodges from noise.

A report from CSJ Planning, submitted with the application on behalf of Madecorn, says: "The current application provides the marina with an extremely important alternative development opportunity based on current need and demand on a site which is already approved for redevelopment.

"The marina is widely recognised for bringing in significant amounts of money into the district's economy and for supporting hundreds of jobs on and off-site, including within the nearby 'Key Service Village' of Willington.

"Providing rentable holiday accommodation on site through the provision of holiday lodges such as the type proposed is an integral part of supporting tourism, the marina business, and allowing reinvestment into the site and the marina workforce."

CSJ says the existing 32 holiday lodges have been a "huge success" and are occupied for an average of 80 per cent of the 11 months a year they are open – above the industry average of 62.5 per cent.

However, it says demand often exceeds supply in summer, Easter and at Christmas, sparking the need for more lodges.

CSJ writes: "Based on current figures, the applicant believes that there is only capacity within existing applications for holiday lodges to grow the business in this respect for another 18 months.

"The additional no.13 lodges proposed by this application will help to ease this pressure and is considered to represent a more economically effective use of the site for long-term viability and tourism.

"The marina operator has invested heavily in the site in recent years and the enterprise is thriving. In order to keep up this momentum a policy of continuous investment and improvement of services is absolutely key."

If approved the site would increase the number of lodges on site to 45.

The owners were granted permission for 58 when the marina was first given the go-ahead, though it must apply for each new batch.