Plans for glamping resort and triathlon training centre near Doncaster Sheffield Airport unveiled

According to signage erected in a field at the junction of Bawtry Road and Great Yorkshire Way, which leads to the airport, the leisure development will include glamping pods, holiday lodges, a cafe, tennis courts and fitness trails.

The site, between Bessacarr and Bawtry at Parrots Corner, is only a short distance from the Hayfield Lakes fishing complex, which already has a campsite, caravan pitches and pub.

A new artificial lake would be constructed on the greenfield land, which was previously in agricultural use. Planning permission for the development was granted with conditions by Doncaster Council last June.

The sign carries the branding of a company called Walter & Chief, but the applicant is Thomas Lewis, a director of local roads construction firm Derek Lewis Ltd.

The resort’s website states: “The proposal is for a development of a 17-acre self-contained triathlon training and leisure facility in the south of Doncaster city and will be a first of its kind for our region.”

​The 17-acre resort would be the only similar facility in South Yorkshire – the nearest triathlon centre is the Brownlee Centre in Leeds and the closest watersports centre is nine miles away at Hatfield – and Doncaster Triathlon Club and local kayaking clubs have already expressed interest in using the five-acre lake.

The proposal also includes a 1,000-metre running track; trim trail stations; multi-use games courts; outdoor training areas; reception and showers; cafe; EV charging points; self-contained log cabins with hot tubs; caravan and motorhome pitches; glamping yurts and campsite; year-round opening.

The plans have been amended since they were first submitted in 2020, with livery for horses dropped from the scheme. Business Doncaster have supported the proposal.

Conditions required to be met by the council planning committee are that the cafe should be for users of the facility rather than the general public; that cycle parking be provided; and accommodation should be limited to seven caravan pitches and seven lodges at any one time.

New access is proposed from Hayfield Lane, which has been a dead end since the opening of the Great Yorkshire Way. The development is considered sustainable because as well as 44 parking spaces, there is bus and pedestrian access to the location.

In a council report, planning officers acknowledged that local residents had contacted them with concerns about asphalt being dumped at the site and of groundworks beginning ahead of planning consent being granted. Auckley Parish Council objected on grounds of traffic pressures, but the resort is only expected to generate around 60-70 vehicle movements per day, which is not considered a high number.