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Sustainable Expansion for Bluestone
The first timber frames for 80 new lodges have arrived at Bluestone National Park Resort as the latest figures show Welsh tourism businesses seeing an increase in visitor levels.
The delivery of the first timber frame is part of a £23 million expansion development. Like many tourism businesses in Wales, Bluestone is witnessing a significant increase in bookings from pre-pandemic levels with the new development plans catering for a growing demand for luxury lodge accommodation for short breaks in areas of natural beauty. The Wales Tourism Business Barometer shows visitor numbers were up 25% compared to pre-pandemic levels. In further research from the Visit Britain Domestic Sentiment Tracker, 39% of respondents said they are more likely to choose a UK trip than an overseas trip compared to prepandemic. The top reasons for this preference being that UK holidays are easier to plan, and long queues at airports or cancelled flights.
Bluestone National Park Resort is situated in 500 acres of rolling countryside in the heart of Pembrokeshire. The resort comprises 344 cabin-style woodland lodges, colourful terraced cottages and studio apartments built around a purpose-built but traditionally-designed village featuring shops, a pub, six restaurants and an award-winning exclusive holistic spa, The Well Spa Retreat. “We know there’s growing demand for a sustainable luxury tourism product in Wales and we’re confident we can meet the need for an ecologically sound product in natural surroundings,” said Marten Lewis, head of sustainability at Bluestone National Park Resort. “Sustainability is a key aspect across all the decisions on the design and build. Along with the promotion of health and wellbeing, sustainability has always formed an integral part of Bluestone’s business operations and will continue to do so as we move forward.”
Bluestone reported a ‘surge’ in bookings for holidays in August in late June as uncertainty continued over flight cancellations and delays. The new lodges will have their own private entrance with virtual checkin and will offer the most luxurious facilities to date at Bluestone. Welshpool-based SJ Roberts Construction will be the main contractors during the project, while the timber frames will be manufactured by Lowfield Timber Frames. Mike Sambrook, Managing Director of SJ Roberts, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the build contract for this fantastic development at Bluestone. There has been a huge amount of collaborative working between all members of the design team in preparation ahead of site commencement and we cannot wait to get started. The timber frames will be manufactured by our sister company, Lowfield Timber Frames, at our HQ in Mid-Wales with the remainder of the supply chain being carefully selected to ensure a quality build is guaranteed and that programme and budget targets are met.”
The new lodges are the fourth phase of expansion plans for the resort near Narberth in Pembrokeshire, which currently has 344 existing lodges, cottages and studio apartments across 500 acres of rolling Pembrokeshire countryside. Timber and other sustainable materials have been used in the design and construction of the ‘Platinum’ lodges which will be heated by air source heat pumps. All of the timber used is PEFC certified with a full chain of custody.
At least 250 jobs will be sustained during the construction phase and 100 operational jobs will be created once completed. Bluestone already employs more than 800 people and 65% of its £6 million annual expenditure is retained in Pembrokeshire through employment and using a local supply chain. “This is another significant milestone for Bluestone, creating even more opportunities for visitors coming to Pembrokeshire. Not only will they enjoy high quality accommodation, but lodges that will have been constructed as sustainably as possible,” said Liz Weedon, head of projects at Bluestone. “We have worked closely with our contractors to ensure there is limited disruption to the local community or guests staying on resort during work. The location of the site combined with a phased approach will support this. The additional lodges will provide an economic boost to the local area and economy through additional jobs, more visitors and additional local supply chain demands during and after construction.” The lodges will officially open in the summer of 2023.
