It’s taken almost as long to deliver as the Olympic Village but after a marathon six year survey performed by Leeds based Met Geo Environmental, plans to transform a former arts college at one of Yorkshire’s most famous country parks have taken a major step forward.
A planning application has now been submitted that would see the creation of a 120 bedroom luxury hotel and 100,000 sq ft business park at the grade two listed Bretton Hall near Wakefield.
Home to the internationally renowned Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the site was bought by Wakefield Council in 2006 when the University of Leeds closed Bretton Hall College, since which Met Geo Environmental has been engaged on an extensive and ongoing survey to record all aspects of the proposed development area.
The program has required topographical surveys of the entire site including measured floor plan and elevation surveys to the original eighteenth century hall and associated buildings, as well as the 100 acre Bretton Country Park including all major and specimen trees, originally for Leeds University and latterly for Wakefield Council.
Met Geo Environmental has previously surveyed the Yorkshire Sculpture Park ahead of the development prior to the construction of new galleries, car parking and access road.
Plans for the Bretton site have been in the pipeline since 2009 so this planning application represents a significant development.
If granted permission, the development would be delivered in stages starting with a 77-bedroomed hotel and 39,000 sq ft of offices. Work could start in February 2013 with the first phase completed by the end of 2014.