A MULTI-million redevelopment of a holiday hotspot is set to see an area of the Lake District bounce back from the floods.

The owners of the Windermere Marina Village at Bowness plan to spend £10 million on completely transforming the attraction, which was badly hit by last December's deluge.

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The village offers self catering holiday cottages, marina facilities, a leisure club and time share. A plan lodged with the Lake District National Park Authority seeks permission to demolish a reception building, sales area, shop, staff apartments and 29 houses.

These will be replaced by 38 flood resilient apartments, 33 holiday/staff apartments, reception offices and sales area. Alterations will also be made to the existing workshop building and Boathouse restaurant with the addition of solar panels. Parking capacity is expected to increase by 56 spaces, and spaces for 50 bicycles will be added.

Carole Shaw, chairman of the Windermere Lake Users’ Forum, commended the Marina Village’s response to the flood damage, welcoming its potential lasting impact on the area.

“I think this very positive approach is probably the lifeblood of ensuring that life on the lake continues to flourish should it flood again,” she said. “It is great to see that people are brave enough to actually really take an opportunity like this by the horns and not just try to repair what was there before. We have got to make a change and build in resilience because floods are likely to recur again.”

Jason Dearden, managing director of Windermere Marina Village, said: “We have some holiday cottages and an office building that were unfortunately flooded in both 2015 and 2009.

“We have looked at a number of options and decided that the best way forward is to build above what is the new flood level.

“We will be increasing the number of properties and we will be building at first floor level, with car parking space underneath..

“The land footprint of the Marina Village will stay quite similar. In 2013 we built properties that were higher and we will be building more along those lines.

“In building these new properties we want to bring more tourism to the area and accommodate more people.”

The proposals have been welcomed due to their potentially positive impact on the economy in the area.

Mr Dearden highlighted that the construction of the buildings would support existing jobs, while the new, larger facilities would create jobs in hospitality, the offices and in maintenance at village.

Windermere town councillor Allan Winrow, who represents Bowness South, added: “I think it is a good idea. The buildings down there at the moment are pretty old and don’t do much for the area. On balance it will probably make the area look a lot nicer.

“From the point of view of the marina they are protecting their investment by further investment. They won’t lose so much income for so long next time there is similar rain fall.”

Cllr Ben Berry, who represents Windermere on South Lakeland District Council, said: “I always welcome investment into our area, especially when it is going to make places more resilient and improve the economy.

“This sort of investment is exactly what we need here.”

Mr Dearden has confirmed that the Marina Village will stay open for the duration of the construction, with the redevelopment taking place in a closed-off portion of the site. People will continue to be able to stay in the properties that were undamaged by the floods.

The LDNPA is waiting to hear back from statutory consultees, including the Highways Agency, before they can make a decision regarding the application.

Planning officer Andrew Smith said that the earliest point at which a decision will be made is on December 7.

Should the development be granted planning permission, Mr Dearden said the redevelopment would take between two to three years.