Shropshire Star

Work starts on £3.5 million Shrewsbury 'glamping' village

Work has begun on a £3.5 million caravan park and camping village on the edge of Shrewsbury.

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Caravan dealership Salop Leisure is building the park, which has room for 120 touring caravans, beside its headquarters at Emstrey.

The development will create eight jobs and Councillor Ioan Jones, mayor of Shrewsbury, cut the first turf on the site as work officially began this week.

Mark Bebb, managing director of Salop Leisure, the company behind the plans, said: "The new touring park and glamping village will attract people from all over the country and hopefully that will benefit the town and local businesses.

Shrewsbury's Mayor Councillor Ioan Jones cuts the first turf for the new development watched by Salop Leisure's managing director Mark Bebb, right, and Stuart Thomas, partner and head of planning at Berrys

"Shropshire has a lot of natural beauty and activities just waiting to be discovered. Shrewsbury is a really beautiful town and we believe that it deserves to attract more visitors."

The new facility will include a natural swimming pool, spa, pilates and yoga studio, gym, play area, fire pit, fishing pool, walking and cycling paths and cafe.

Mr Bebb said it was necessary to provide new facilities at caravan parks in order the future-proof the industry.

"As a company, we develop caravan parks to five star standard, but this touring park will raise the bar to a new level," he said.

"I believe what we are currently offering customers as an industry isn't good enough for the future and we have to move with the times and push boundaries. Our lives have become dominated by technology, with our children glued to iPads and the internet. We want to get them to experience the grass between their toes and enjoying the glamping experience."

Councillor Jones praised the location of the new park and the views from the new development, which he said was very convenient for the town and would attract tourism.

"I wish Salop Leisure all the best with this development which should be a major boost to the local economy, providing jobs and bringing revenue into the area," he added.

Attingham Park, Wroxeter Roman Vineyard and the Ironbridge Gorge are all nearby attractions hoping to benefit from the opening of the new park.

Mr Bebb also hopes to use the park to complement Salop's existing facilities on the site, giving visitors the chance to try out a new home-from-home before taking a big trip.

The new park has also been accepted as an affiliated site of The Caravan Club, making it one of only 42 such sites in the UK.

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