GREEN FOR GO! PLANS APPROVED FOR NEW ECO HOLIDAY PARK IN GURNARD

Green for eco and green for go as plans to build a new Isle of Wight environmentally friendly holiday park in Gurnard have been approved. In a development said to the be “first of a new generation of net-zero holiday destinations in the UK”, 32 eco-lodges can now be built next to Gurnard Pines, near Cowes. Throughout their stay, guests’ electricity consumption will be measured and their final bill would be directly proportional to their carbon footprint, the park developers have said. The plans by ZED Power were approved by the Isle of Wight Council earlier this week and will also see an event barn, cafe and bar building built. The authority says it will be a sustainable form of tourism development, making use of an existing site. The lodges will be built on the concrete foundations of previous holiday cabins which were demolished in 2007. Council officers have said the park has been designed to complement the existing holiday village, rather than compete with it and visitors would be encouraged to use the facilities at both sites. The local authority also says the new development would be a niche tourism product and help the Island to become an all-year-round tourist destination. The development will be highly energy-efficient, with triple-glazed windows; solar panels; heat pumps and rainwater harvested to serve communal buildings. The multi-purpose event barn will be the 1st thing built and be big enough to build the pre-fabricated holiday lodges during the winter months.