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Work to start on five star golf resort

Work is set to begin this week on transforming a disused country hall into one of the UK’s most exclusive hotel, golf and spa resorts.Rockliffe Hall in Hurworth, near Darlington is to be transformed into a luxury five-star destination comprising a contemporary hotel, championship golf course and relaxation spa resort.

Having satisfied minor planning conditions set by Darlington Borough Council in December, Developers Rockliffe Hall Ltd will now start the redevelopment work on the site, starting with the golf course.

Director at Rockliffe Hall Ltd, Warwick Brindle, said: “It’s a momentous week in the development of the site. We have undertaken some minor ground clearance work in recent weeks but can finally start turning the disused hall and its grounds into a destination that the whole region will be proud of.”

“It has taken us a lot of time to get to this stage. Work on shaping and preparing the land for the golf course will start this week.”

He added: “We have worked closely with a number of groups over many, many months, not least Darlington Borough Council in ensuring everyone’s needs are satisfied with this development. Everyone involved in the project is thrilled to now be at the stage where we can get cracking on making this a landmark destination.”

The 375-acre site will consist of a championship golf course which, at almost 7,800 yards, will be the longest course in Europe. The existing hall will be transformed into a luxury 63-bedroom hotel and relaxation spa. There will also be 18 apartment-style rooms on the grounds as well as a private housing development of 24 homes.

It is expected that work on the site will be completed by 2009. More than 500 jobs will be created in the construction and eventual staffing of the development.

Warwick Brindle added: “With a project of this scale, it is inevitable that some heavy goods and construction vehicles will be on site for a number of weeks.”

“However, our number one consideration in the planning and preparation for this eventuality has been our neighbours in Hurworth village. A number of measures have been put in place to ensure that any disruption is kept to an absolute minimum.”

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