Plans for lakeside holiday cabins, eco-lodges and visitor centre on former Elsenham Hall parkland

Historic parkland that was once part of the grade II listed Elsenham Hall estate could be brought back into public use with a scheme for lakeside holiday cabins, eco-lodges and a visitor centre.

The site, off Hall Road and Church Lane, features woodlands and a lake.

It is no longer in the same ownership as the rest of the estate. Elsenham Hall Park Ltd, the company behind the scheme, says it has “suffered from a lack of management and maintenance”.

Documents in the application say the idea is to “restore and regenerate” the parkland with the visitor centre and associated leisure and tourist accommodation.

The 10 holiday let cabins would be in two designs. The first would be one-storey with one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen, lounge and covered outdoor seating area. The other would be triangular with a mezzanine floor for a sitting area, with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen on the ground floor.

The five lodges, each with a bedroom and bath, would be beneath the visitor centre, which would have three learning rooms, a casual seating area, kitchenette and toilets.

The applicant states: “It is proposed to restore and regenerate the historic parkland and lake, making it publicly accessible, and to erect a visitor building and five eco-lodges as well as 10 temporary tiny homes and/or eco-lodges for use as lakeside lodges, with associated parking and access.

“The visitor building will provide teaching facilities, learning areas, toilets and storage with five eco-lodges below.

“The proposed visitor building and lakeside lodges will not be visible from outside the site due to site levels and existing boundary treatment, which is proposed to be retained.

“The fishpond lake, parkland and wooded areas are valued for their potential recreational and leisure opportunities, providing spaces for activities such as walking, cycling, picnicking and nature observation.

“The management objectives will focus on ensuring safe and enjoyable access for visitors while minimising the impact on wildlife and natural features.

“It will be necessary to plan and manage facilities such as footpaths, trails, viewpoints, information boards and picnic areas.

“Access for different user groups should be considered and ensure appropriate infrastructure is put in place, as required.

“The restoration of the parkland will bring it back into beneficial use, conserving its future and opening it up to the public to benefit from.

“The restoration and proposed development on the site will also aid the rural economy, providing jobs and visitors to the locality, which is surrounded by existing tourist sites such as Daisy May’s Farm, Elsenham Golf Club and Golf World Stansted.”