Member Article

Luxury North Yorkshire holiday park enjoys record year

A luxury £1 million North Yorkshire holiday lodge park, which was launched in the teeth of the recession, has enjoyed a record-breaking 12 months.

The high-end Scampston Park Lodges near Malton, are part of the historic Scampston Hall estate and the brainchild of the hall’s owner Chris Legard.

Winner of the David Bellamy Gold Award, the state-of-the-art lodges are set amid seven lakes on a 35-acre site and located close to the A64, north of Malton. They are for sale from £179,000 upwards.

During the past year, more lodges (five) were sold than ever before during the park’s seven-year history.

Chris, who has been chosen to be the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire for 2018-19, takes up the story.

“This whole project started because I was keen to find other ways of diversifying the estate at Scampston. It is getting harder and harder to maintain houses such as Scampston Hall to a high level, including all the heritage Capability Brown parkland and its associated features, on the back of just traditional enterprises such as farming and cottages.

“Modern estates need to find new revenue streams in order to be able to afford to maintain and improve the heritage assets, and so the thought process began.

“We first started thinking about caravans and lodges back in the early 2000s and we spent a couple of years exploring options for a touring caravan park which came to nothing in the end. We then turned our attention to high-end luxury lodges, having seen that there were a number of apparent success stories in other parts of Yorkshire, and believing that our site was perfectly suited to such a development.

“So, in around 2006 we started the process of preparing a business plan, raising finance, designing the park and submitting a planning application. Planning was granted in 2008 and we immediately embarked on the construction phase which was completed in the Spring of 2009.

“From the outset, we wanted to design the finest luxury lodge park in North Yorkshire, without any compromises. We received a huge boost in 2008 when we sold our first lodge part way through construction to a very far-sighted and visionary couple who could see past the field of mud and imagine what it would be like once finished,” explained Chris.

Economically the timing could not have been worse, opening in the teeth of the global financial crisis that was enveloping the world. However, Chris Legard remained confident because he fully believed that the quality of the park.

“While we weren’t overrun in the early years with orders, we were still selling lodges and ticking over steadily. Then, in 2015, economic confidence seemed to return at last and we had our best-ever year, welcoming a large number of new owners to Scampston Park Lodges.

“I’m most proud of the fact that we have not had anyone wishing to sell their lodge at Scampston which I hope is a reflection of how happy our lodge owners are to be here.

“And because of the way we’ve designed the park, and crucially that we do not allow commercial sub-letting, our lodge owners are a group of very like-minded people seeking some peace and quiet away from a busy world,” he commented.

Perfectly situated a few miles outside the market town of Malton in North Yorkshire within the historic setting of Scampston Estate, there are over 100 Yorkshire Tourist Board recognised attractions and places to visit within 25 miles. Whether it is the historic city of York, the splendour of Castle Howard, the North Yorkshire heritage coastline or the North Yorkshire Moors, there is something nearby for everyone.

CASE STUDY: PAM SMITH

There are several reasons for choosing Scampston Park Lodges but the main reason was location.

I’m a professional genealogist and have been visiting the area for several years whilst setting up the One-Place Study of nearby Rillington. The park is situated in a beautiful and unspoilt part of the East Riding of Yorkshire at the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds. It is an ideal place for me to work, study and relax in a peaceful and stimulating haven.

The park itself has a woodland planting scheme sympathetic to its natural environment and setting which along with its two large lakes and established pond already attracts many wild birds. There are no gimmicks or manufactured amenities as adopted by many other sites we visited. Scampston provides a true retreat.

The generous plot sizes adds to the feeling of being able to ‘breathe’ whilst enjoying the big skies. Each lodge has a large decked area which provides that vital extra room to maximise the great outdoors. The ability to choose and help design our bespoke lodge was a huge bonus.

Chris Legard and his team were welcoming from the beginning plus extremely helpful and supportive during that crucial transition time of building and moving in. They continue to go that extra mile in ensuring that we are settled and remain happy and comfortable in our new home.

Glen, who is now providing a security service is friendly and very helpful. It’s great to know that someone is around looking after us. All residents on the site are friendly and welcoming.

Being just an hour from home, Scampston ticked all our boxes for a wonderful escape from hectic day-to-day life. I would definitely recommend the park to anyone considering such a lifestyle, however part of me wants to keep it a secret!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .