Skelwith Group starts work on £30m luxury seaside hotel at Sandsend, near Whitby (From York Press)

Skelwith Group starts work on £30m luxury seaside hotel at Sandsend, near Whitby

1:36pm Monday 14th December 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

WORK has begun on a £30 million North Yorkshire hotel resort.

The Skelwith Group, the York-based owner of the 80-acre Raithwaite Hall Country Retreat at Sandsend, near Whitby, has appointed Wates Construction as main contractor for the development, with the first enabling work starting this week.

Already on the site are 11 luxury holiday cottages and the plans include a 44-bed five-star hotel and spa complex and further cottages built in the grounds, which feature fishing lakes, waterfalls and botanical gardens.

Up to 50 workers will be on site at any one time during the 60-week construction programme.

Wates have made a commitment to use local labour and local suppliers wherever possible.

Once the hotel is operational in 2011, about 150 jobs will be created at all levels and in a range of disciplines. Paul Ellis, managing director of the Skelwith Group, said: “It’s great to get work started on this fantastic development.

“We are very proud of the vision for this site and we are confident it will become an international destination and prove to be a massive boost for the local area”.

This is the first of The Skelwith Group’s two five-star hotel projects to get under way, with work also expected to begin on the £100 million Flaxby Country Resort on the A59 between Harrogate and York next spring.

David Price, regional director for Wates Construction, described the Raithwaite Hall Country Retreat project as “a great development” and said: “I’m very excited about getting it under way. It’s a complex building project because of the nature of the site, and the existing cottages, but when it’s completed it will be a magnificent focal point for a majestic site.”

Wates Construction is also lined up to build the Flaxby Country Club. The Sandsend project, which has the backing of both Welcome To Yorkshire and Scarborough Borough Council, will also feature a 6,000 sq ft high-tech spa, a fine dining restaurant and luxury bar.