Revealed: Harrogate Rudding Park's £30m plans for Yorkshire's first 5 star Country Club

Rudding Park revealed its plans for the major upgrade and expansion of its luxury facilities at an open day for the public at the luxury spa hotel at the weekend.

The presentation outlined Rudding Park’s preliminary aims of a wide-ranging project which is expected to be achieved one stage at a time over a number of years and is expected to create 75 new jobs in Harrogate.

The Mackaness family purchased Rudding Park in 1972 since when a consistent programme of development and investment has transformed 2,000 acres of outstanding Yorkshire countryside and a magnificent, Grade I listed country house into luxury hotel, spa, golf and conference resort.

The family-run, independent Harrogate business hopes to submit an application to planners at Harrogate Borough Council for outline planning permission for the major project by the end of March.

Precise details of the upgrades and the sequence and timing of the work involved is likely to be determined after that.

Our vision: What Rudding Park says

Replace and upgrade golf club and health facilities

Replace and upgrade family facilities

Addition of outdoor tennis courts and pavilion

Restoration of walled garden

Yorkshire’s first five star country club

Positive impacts: What Rudding Park says

Reduction of built land in green belt by 45%

Planting of + 10,000 trees and creation of x3 wetland areas

Sustainability Gold Standard in the build process: BREAM outstanding

Significant economic impact + £14m annual benefit locally

Create +75 new local jobs in Harrogate

Aims: What Rudding Park says

Over the last 50 years, Rudding Park has become the standard bearer for quality hospitality in Harrogate, and positions Harrogate as a UK wide and international tourist destination.

We have made consistent and intentional decisions to design and build the highest quality amenities and experiences for Harrogate, the North and the UK.

The hotel is, and has always been, the highest rated hotel in Harrogate winning seven top industry awards in 2019 alone.

However, the golf club house (1995) was originally built as a temporary facility which has now totally outgrown its useful life.

It requires not only an upgrade, but a significant redesign to stand aside the leading facilities of the hotel, spa, Rudding House and the now mature parkland golf course.

In addition, the small gym facilities in the hotel and swimming provision in the Spa are too small and substandard to be a high-quality health club.

Similarly, the children’s swimming, built in the 1980’s, is now dated and the play areas are significantly under provisioned for families to enjoy Rudding Park.

Sustainablity: What Rudding Park says

The development will reduce the existing built land in the Green Belt by 45%, through consolidation of current buildings.

We will also plant over 10,000 trees and create 3 new wetland areas which, overall the project will have a net zero impact on biodiversity.

This is not good enough for us and we will strive for a significant positive biodiversity impact.

The new buildings will all be built to the Bream Outstanding which will focus on the materials used to reduce embodied carbon in the build process and minimise the lifetime energy use.

Economic Impact: What Rudding Park says

In 2023 Rudding Park will generate in excess of £56m for the local economy through employment, additional tourism spends, and using local suppliers.

This development will dramatically grow this local contribution to over £70m annually and demonstrate consistent and ongoing major contribution to the economy and local area.

In 2023 we will also contribute over £750,000 to local charities through our employee initiatives, direct donations or support to charitable initiatives held at Rudding Park.

Winning awards: Rudding Park’s recent success

The spa is one of the highest rated spas in the UK and Europe. In 2022 the spa was awarded the Best Spa Hotel from the World Wellness Awards and has won three other industry leading awards since opening in 2017.

Rudding House has consistently delivered the highest quality banqueting and conferencing events in the country. It is renowned for numerous large charity events in Yorkshire, an events space for some of the largest corporate companies in the UK and an exclusive destination for high quality, bespoke private dining.

Horto Restaurant and Clocktower Brasserie, have been awarded 3 AA rosettes and 2 AA rosettes respectively.