Fresh concerns have been raised over the potential traffic impact of building a waterpark inside a quarry on the edge of the Peak District.
Developers want to create the complex, called the Amber Rock Resort, inside Crich Quarry in north Derbyshire.
It could include a 152-bed hotel, 128 straw-bale lodges, an indoor water park, 210 holiday apartments, a climbing centre and heritage centre, as well as a cliff-top restaurant and sports complex.
The developers say parking for the site would be “underground” and accessed by tunnels, with space for 634 cars, five LGVs, 100 bikes and 30 motorbikes.
Planning documents say the project would create 561 full-time and part-time jobs when it is complete, with 200 people employed for the construction stages.
Amber Valley Borough Council has said it does not object to the plans, but in a letter to Derbyshire County Council, it said roads around the site would be “unlikely to be able to support such a large-scale development”.
The borough council also said “the potential for harm to the landscape and heritage assets needs to be explored further”.
The borough council said the developer should work with highways officials to prove that a “safe and suitable access arrangement can be achieved and that the additional traffic that the site could generate would not cause any severe residual cumulative impacts at any location”.
Apart from highways issues and protection of heritage sites, the borough council appears to largely support the scheme, saying, “the quarry environment and hotel sculptured into the environment with a green roof could provide a unique hotel".
It said: “This application indicates that Amber Rock will cater for guests enjoying longer stays and would be a preferred model to the previous day visitor market to encourage sustainability and generate greater economic value.
“The eco credential of the project should be encouraged with prioritisation for pedestrians and cycles and linkage with the public transport rail and bus.”
The council says the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Buffer zone and the Sherwood Foresters Regimental Memorial – and views of and from both – should be protected.
In the letter it said: “The borough council acknowledges the significant public benefits arising from a development of this nature such as the job creation through the construction process, support for the supply chain during construction, gross value-added contribution to the East Midlands economy during construction and an enhanced local labour force.
“Occupiers of the proposed tourist accommodation have the potential to contribute to the local economy by using the local amenities and services in Crich, including its convenience store and other businesses in the local area.
“This would be a form of public benefit by future users contributing to the viability, prosperity and possible growth of businesses in the village.”
